Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become

By Michael Snyder, on March 29th, 2016

Ten years ago, a major Hollywood film entitled “Idiocracy” was released, and it was an excellent metaphor for what would happen to America over the course of the next decade. In the movie, an “average American” wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that he suddenly finds himself in. Sadly, I truly believe that if people of average intellect from the 1950s and 1960s were transported to 2016, they would likely be considered mental giants compared to the rest of us. We have a country where criminals are being paid $1000 a month not to shoot people, and the highest paid public employee in more than half the states is a football coach. Hardly anyone takes time to read a book anymore, and yet the average American spends 302 minutes a day watching television. 75 percent of our young adults cannot find Israel on a map of the Middle East, but they sure know how to find smut on the Internet. It may be hard to believe, but there are more than 4 million adult websites on the Internet today, and they get more traffic than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined.

What in the world has happened to us? How is it possible that we have become so stupid? According to a brand new report that was recently released, almost 10 percent of our college graduates believe that Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court…

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni publishes occasional reports on what college students know.

Nearly 10 percent of the college graduates surveyed thought Judith Sheindlin, TV’s “Judge Judy,” is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Less than 20 percent of the college graduates knew the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a quarter of the college graduates did not know Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during World War II; one-third did not know he was the president who spearheaded the New Deal.

It can be tempting to laugh at numbers like these until you realize that survey after survey has come up with similar results.

When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar.

*Only 43 percent of all U.S. high school students knew that the Civil War was fought some time between 1850 and 1900.

*More than a quarter of all U.S. high school students thought that Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean after the year 1750.

*Approximately a third of all U.S. high school students did not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

*Only 60 percent of all U.S. students knew that World War I was fought some time between 1900 and 1950.

Of course survey results can be skewed, and much hinges on how the questions are asked.

However, even studies that are scientifically conducted confirm how stupid America has become. In fact, a report from the Educational Testing Service found that Americans are falling way behind much of the rest of the industrialized world. The following comes from CBS News…

Americans born after 1980 are lagging their peers in countries ranging from Australia to Estonia, according to a new report from researchers at the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The study looked at scores for literacy and numeracy from a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which tested the abilities of people in 22 countries.

The results are sobering, with dire implications for America. It hints that students may be falling behind not only in their early educational years but at the college level. Even though more Americans between the ages of 20 to 34 are achieving higher levels of education, they’re still falling behind their cohorts in other countries. In Japan, Finland and the Netherlands, young adults with only a high school degree scored on par with American Millennials holding four-year college degrees, the report said.

Out of 22 countries that were part of the study, the Educational Testing Service found that Americans were dead last in tech proficiency, dead last in numeracy and only two countries performed worse than us when it came to literacy proficiency…

Half of American Millennials score below the minimum standard of literacy proficiency. Only two countries scored worse by that measure: Italy (60 percent) and Spain (59 percent). The results were even worse for numeracy, with almost two-thirds of American Millennials failing to meet the minimum standard for understanding and working with numbers. That placed U.S. Millennials dead last for numeracy among the study’s 22 developed countries.

So why has this happened?

Why have we become such an extremely stupid nation?

Well, at least a portion of the blame must be directed at our system of education. The following is an excerpt from an article written by reporter Mark Morford. In this article, he shared how one of his friends which had served for a very long time as a high school teacher in Oakland, California was considering moving out of the country when he retired due to the relentless “dumb-ification of the American brain”…

It’s gotten so bad that, as my friend nears retirement, he says he is very seriously considering moving out of the country so as to escape what he sees will be the surefire collapse of functioning American society in the next handful of years due to the absolutely irrefutable destruction, the shocking — and nearly hopeless — dumb-ification of the American brain. It is just that bad.

Now, you may think he’s merely a curmudgeon, a tired old teacher who stopped caring long ago. Not true. Teaching is his life. He says he loves his students, loves education and learning and watching young minds awaken. Problem is, he is seeing much less of it.

And of course things don’t get much better when it comes to our college students. In a previous article, I shared some statistics from USA Today about the rapidly declining state of college education in the United States…

-“After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.”

-“Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago”

-“35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone.”

-“50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages”

-“32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.”

I spent eight years studying at some of the finest public universities in the country, and I can tell you from personal experience that even our most challenging college courses have been pathetically dumbed down.

And at our “less than finest” public universities, the level of education can be something of a bad joke. In another previous article, I shared some examples of actual courses that have been taught at U.S. universities in recent years…

Could you imagine getting actual college credit for a course entitled “What If Harry Potter Is Real?”

This is why many of our college graduates can barely put two sentences together. They aren’t being challenged, and the quality of the education most of them are receiving is incredibly poor.

But even though they aren’t being challenged, students are taking longer to get through college than ever. Federal statistics reveal that only 36 percent of all full-time students receive a bachelor’s degree within four years, and only 77 percent of all full-time students have earned a bachelor’s degree by the end of six years.

Of course our system of education is not entirely to blame. The truth is that young Americans spend far more time consuming media than they do hitting the books, and what passes for “entertainment” these days is rapidly turning their brains to mush.

According to a report put out by Nielsen, this is how much time the average American spends consuming media on various devices each day…

Watching live television: 4 hours, 32 minutes

Watching time-shifted television: 30 minutes

Listening to the radio: 2 hours, 44 minutes

Using a smartphone: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Using Internet on a computer: 1 hour, 6 minutes

When you add it all up, the average American spends more than 10 hours a day plugged into some form of media.

And if you allow anyone to pump “programming” into your mind for 10 hours a day, it is going to have a dramatic impact.

In the end, I truly believe that we all greatly underestimate the influence that the mainstream media has on all of us. We willingly plug into “the Matrix” for endless hours, but then somehow we still expect “to think for ourselves”.

There are very few of us that can say that we have not been exposed to thousands upon thousands of hours of conditioning. And all of that garbage can make it very, very difficult to think clearly.

It is not because of a lack of input that we have become so stupid as a society. The big problem is what we are putting into our minds.

If we continue to put garbage in, we are going to continue to get garbage out, and that is the cold, hard reality of the matter.

Come to where I work if you need more evidence to corroborate your.story.

RedInkMechanic

Are you grain or chaff?

ALWAYSTOMORROW

I am the wind that separates the two. Unfortunately I will have to put you with the chaff.

RedInkMechanic

No, I don’t want to be stuck with the low potential people. Okay, then I’ll be the smarted stupid person…

Mike

I realized that I had to get rid of cable tv when my oldest daughter was two. My daughters are 7 and 9 and we still do not have cable. And I do not miss it.

Philosopher

Smart. If I had children there is no way in heck I would have a TV in the house.

Edward

I agree with you. Hope you don’t have video games either. I don’t remember much of school shootings before they came on scene.

BlueAmethyst

Bullcrap. Videogames are not the boogeyman they’re made out to be. It’s the parents that refuse to read the rating and buy 7-year old Johnny the Black-Ops titles when the box clearly says “M for Mature” that get over-exposed to violence. Don’t over-censor but pay attention to what your child is consuming.

GSOB

You are what you eat.

ALWAYSTOMORROW

Neither. I am the plant.

SunnyFlaSnotress

Give it a few more years and your daughters will think you are cheap and weird.

David_R59

Well, at least they’ll actually be able to think.

SunnyFlaSnotress

Unlike you, you senile old man

Atlassheepdog

SunnySnot you keep commenting without realizing you are the person being described in the article. In addition to being a troll. Go blow your nose and get back to cleaning my office

SunnyFlaSnotress

Atlas, your sheepdog made you what you are.. but someone should have brought the pooper scooper.

Rorschach

The pooper scooper wouldn’t fit you. They would need the world’s biggest pooper scooper for you and your fellow trolls.

David_R59

I haven’t had network tv in my home for at least 30 yrs.
That’s probably why I still have a brain that works.

TomIron361

I’ve not had mine for 12 years or so. Don’t miss it a bit.

steve ash

We threw our TV out 12 years ago. Best thing we ever did. It’s just so one way and old fashioned. Plus it’s full of dumbed down lefty propaganda. Still watch the odd bit of programming from time to time on a pc or tablet, but no longer just sit there slouched in front of whatever putrid outpourings is set in front of you.

Illegal

Part of the problem is information overload. Fifty years ago we did not have computers and a 24 hour news cycles. Our attention span is limited. Many of our schools are stuck using methods from 50 years ago. Unfortunately these methods do not engage the students interest, mind or imagination. Fifty years ago we only had 3 TV networks now look at how many we have. How many new books were published in a year? Fifty years ago not everyone went to college. Now every feels they need to have a college degree even for the most basic job. The U.S. lacks a strong technical school curriculum that is found in European and Asian education. Things could be improved but it means getting government out of education.

lancestaub

The NEWER the teaching methods the worse it gets, because education today is all about teachers rights and pay than what’s best for the students. I went to high school 60 years ago when we had one teacher and 30 to 36 kids in a class room. From what I recall the highest SAT scores were in 1957 and they have never come close to that since then. I managed most of my career in business. High school grads with aptitudes years ago were better employees than college grads in more recent years. Since the mid-80s, I have referred to most college grads as “intellectual idiots” because, on average, I believe that is what they are. They might have knowledge in one narrow specific area but lack GENERAL knowledge. Often the area that they do have knowledge is not very applicable to most jobs. When I was in school the focus was on “thinking”. Today is seems to be “feeling”. People MUST make more decisions based on thinking than feeling, but the younger they are, the less they do that. I truly avoid most younger people because I can’t stand their stupidity and I think that is a real shame.

Steeve Girard

That’s what happens when you try to search for the most perfected system. Once you reach it, you do not know it, you end-up breaking everything. That is what strain over time is all about.

Steeve Girard

The only books I read, are science manuals and papers, report papers and operation manuals. The rest, for me, is just entertaining garbage.
.
If I want to be entertained, the internet is there to provide that with First Person Shooter Games, music, movies, anime and YouTube.

CASTIEL

Part of the problem is kids thinking that life is easy..parents give them all they want…at the age of 10 they have ipads pcs etc……when i was young i start working by the age of 9 in the farm of my father and i didnt have none of that….its not school that will get you think and intellegent but the education that parents give to their children and the life that you have….whats the need of thinking when you all easy by your parents? And stupidity its not only in Amercia but all across the world…..i study for many years even finished law school……but the best way to learn its the school of life

TomIron361

When I was a boy I worked one summer on a dairy farm. That was a great experience.

David_R59

I’ve heard that argument before and I’m afraid it just doesn’t wash.
Your points still do not explain why 10yr olds are functionally illiterate and can barely multiply two numbers together.
I’m 68 now and can remember reading Charles Dickens novels when I was 10. These were not picture books but were full, unexpurgated versions from the school library.
These days it’s as much as a 10 yr old can do to read an Archie comic.
Today’s schools are wasting too much time on social-indoctrination of children instead of teaching the basics.

TomIron361

These schools are doing what they’re there for now.

Philosopher

I have noticed a lot of people that seem barely able to function and not only young people. Some are in their 40s, 50s, ,and 60s and it makes me wonder how they got to even live that long. I have no idea.

Péter Kiss

I also have recognised this, especially among women, but there are some man also. I guess they have family, community… that helps them in survival.

Creepy Pedro

govt takes care of them

TomIron361

Correct when it comes to beautiful women. They’re dumb as a box of rocks for the most part and have zero idea that their looks start fading at about 26 years old and the men are out after the younger ones then. Very sad.

David

Can be explained by the infiltration of liberals into society.

HeyAHuman

The mainstream media is about the biggest threat to society. If wasn’t there to provide distraction, we’d be able to see through about any level of BS and could better organize our thoughts. Any argument would have an immediate response, instead of talking heads spewing BS with no counterpoint, while millions just soak it up, because “this celebrity said so”.

For things to change for the better, the media needs gutting.

RedInkMechanic

Are donut bakers and ice cream makers responsible for making people fat? Simpleton.

HeyAHuman

Lol, wow. Bit of a stretch of a comparison, but whatever floats your boat, chief.

RedInkMechanic

You need to turn your TV off and stop eating donuts, fat and stupid are no way to go through life.

Daddyotis

Wow , calm down, Hillary. Here…take your thyroid meds…

afchief

Not just the media, but our education system and government have been taken over by socialists. This is their goal, to dumb us down where we are all subjects and no longer citizens.

The last thing they have to do is get our guns. And they have plans to do so.

Watch!

peripus

How to Watch Television and Philosophy and Star Trek could be excellent courses. It’s how you teach them. Pop culture references don’t necessarily mesn they aren’t reading serious analysis (“Rawlsian Ethics and the Prime Directive”?)

wes

Don’t forget the way they infiltrated our food, air, and water with chemicals 🙁

algol2000

This is the major reason for the mass stupidity. Forceful drugging by all means.

afchief

Not only are people more stupid, they are more lazy then ever!!! If one can vote for a socialist for president in a capitalistic society it shows how stupid and lazy we have become.

aliceinwonder

Hey now…all they want is $15 an hour, which is more than someone in the military makes. And then they can whine because there are no jobs and prices skyrocketed to pay the higher wages!

afchief

This is why liberalism truly is a mental disorder!

Seattle Voted to Hike the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour. Here’s What Happened to Seattle’s Job Market.

Why are liberals still calling for minimum wage hikes when the facts show the failure of it?

The $15 minimum wage increase in the Seattle area “is getting off to a pretty bad start,” according to a new report.

Data shows that the Seattle Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) lost 700 restaurant jobs from January to September of this year, and a report from the American Enterprise Institute suggests that this could be the product of adverse effects of minimum wage hikes on restaurant jobs.

“What is also noteworthy about the loss of Seattle restaurant jobs this year is the fact that restaurant employment in the rest of Washington state is booming this year,” writes Mark Perry, an AEI scholar and professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan’s Flint campus.

A report by Perry, published Wednesday on AEI’s public policy blog Carpe Diem, notes that there has been an increase of 5,800 new restaurant job positions in the rest of the state of Washington.

While the overall job growth rate this year for the Seattle MSA is higher than the national average, the drop in restaurant jobs stands out. The past three years have seen restaurant employment in the Seattle MSA area at an average job gain of almost 4,000 employees during January-September, according to Perry’s work.

“One likely cause of the stagnation and decline of Seattle area restaurant jobs this year is the increase in the city’s minimum wage,” Perry wrote.

The Seattle City Council passed a $15 minimum wage ordinance that is currently being phased in. On April 1, the minimum wage jumped to $11 per hour.

But correlation does not necessarily mean causation.

Lazarovic

Ya, having a permanent underclass of wage slaves is a good thing, because I need my cheap imported Chinese crap! Plus, if we paid everyone enough to live, there would be no more food stamp recipients to demonize!

Malcolm Reynolds

Ya, going thru life as a complete moron and expecting someone to pay you far beyond moronic a good thing, because improving yourself is way overrated.

Gay Veteran

and how is busTED doing?
you know, Ted Cruz (R-Goldman Sachs)

Wizard of Aus

Come down to Australia & you will find it is not much different.

Wizard of Aus

Oh yeah, go Trump!!

Bill G Wilminton NC

YUP…………… GO TRUMP GO

aliceinwonder

Educate yourselves. Educated people are very difficult to control. <Ron Paul

David_R59

But first you must define what you mean by “educated”. There are many graduating high school these days who actually believe they are educated.

Bo

Yes lots,of,stupidity but TPTB always fix or dismiss every issue you come up with on your blog. TPTB still standing. Give them credit for brushing aside every issue,stat, problem, etc you have ever metioned.

Priszilla

Gun ownership. Trump voting. How many more surveys do you need?

Malcolm Reynolds

anti-gun. Hillary voting. Bernie voting. How many more govt mass murders do you need?

Priszilla

I lived a few years in Hong Kong. No gun ownership. Most secure place on earth. 30 homicides per year. On 7 million population.

Malcolm Reynolds

Most secure place on earth
Except from their govt of course.
Now do Chicago or DC.

Priszilla

HK govt doesn’t bother you much. You pay your tax and have the right visa. That’s all the contact I had with HK govt.

Malcolm Reynolds

HK govt doesn’t bother you much

You mean the Chinese Govt. and yeah, they do.

exomike

SSgt Reynolds,
After reading all of your comments on this page I would very much appreciate it if you would remove the Marine Insignia and the mention of your association with the USMC from you bio.
That is all,
Dismissed

Malcolm Reynolds

Now ask me if give a crap what you think. That is all, kiss it.

Pat Kittle

These IDF types like to use American-style avatars — it’s part of their training as “hasbara.”

Pat Kittle

My previous reply has disappeared without a trace, so I won’t waste much time trying again.

“Malcolm” is more likely IDF than US Marine.

exomike

Well, it was there a while ago. I have it and it will be in your log. I thought you might be joking or the like. I’ve been aware of internet hasbara for over a decade and actually ran into some of the early simple stuff before I heard of the program or the name. But why on this topic? He just sounds like a propagandized angry white male. However, I think I remember some posts regarding occupied Palestine (Israel) from somewhere. He took the standard “Israeli” propaganda line. Hmmmm.

It would have been a moderator from this blog, not Disqus that deleted you. Mine had been there for 20 days and not bothered but the second you mention IDF and Hasbara…, Gone!

Pat Kittle

Yup!

Priszilla

Chinese govt bothers you even less in Hong Kong. The problem in HK isn’t the Chinese govt. The problem is the spineless hk govt. But that’s on the macro political level.
HK is still largely different from the mainland.
And even when I lived in the mainland their govt didn’t bother me much. Police was friendly. Customs asked whether I bought books outside of China – and I showed them the math book I was reading…
Not the history books. Nobody wants confrontation there. They have to ask. So you help them to get their job done.

One of the biggest problems I had at the border: they typed my name wrong when I entered and when I left they found a discrepancy. Well. This happens. Can’t do anything about it. Just wait. Be helpful, bored and boring.

Priszilla

As long as you can wave the flag, sing the hymn and shoot your gun your government is happy with you.

Mr. Cipher

You’ve validated this article. Your Government is not at all “happy” their subjects have guns. Waving the flag is now considered racist.
It’s still okay to sing a hymn but if you gather a small group to do so you will need a permit. Any of the above will put you on the terrorist watch list.

Paul Patriot

It’s all part of the plan in destroying society, and it has and is working very well. It’s too ridiculous to believe that we just ended up here., no, it is an agenda to dumb down the populace so that the sheeple can be easily controlled.

Texas Arcane

They don’t know it. Much like the zombies of Mike Judge’s IDIOCRACY. They have passed that fine point of distinction where they could practice self-criticism. The same sort of personality was formerly seen in third world countries amongst people who had never received any education or even learned to read – the vacuum inside their heads so pervasive they believed there was nothing for them to learn anyway even if they had been able to read. Americans in general are on par with domesticated beasts like cattle or chickens in terms of their ability to understand the real world.

Lennie Pike

Nice!

Steeve Girard

Press his like button you dolt!

Lennie Pike

Not nice.

I don’t do the button thing which is my right and personal choice. I think if people are commenting based on how many like (or don’t like) points they can get, it detracts from the sincerity and value of their comments

Also that was the first time I ever did it – I will cut it out since it bothers you.

Steeve Girard

It does not bother me… but increasing the likes… makes the comment more important to the eyes of the peers. and will be more incline to read them. Helps also Michael to get rid of the BS.

Lennie Pike

o.k.

MeMadMax

Theres another thing: The Parents.
When both mommy and daddy(if there is one) are working two jobs just to keep the lights on then there is barely any home support…

GSOB

“You shall beget sons and daughters, but you shall not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.”

algol2000

Wise saying. Those running on the tread mill are themselves always corrupt almost beyond redemption. They have nothing to offer their children.

CodingGorilla

One of the fallacies of this article is the assertion that millennials (or the younger generation) “expect ‘to think for ourselves’.” As a father of 3 millennials I can attest to the fact that children are no longer taught to think *at all*. They learn by rote and are told what to think; every time I’ve ever challenged one of my children to think through a problem they have been completely unable to do it. I fight and fight and fight to teach this skill to my children, but the school systems completely undermine my efforts; not only are they not taught to think they are actively discouraged from doing it. They are told how to do something, and if they deviate from that, even when they come up with the correct answer, they are penalized from it.

Lazarovic

You’re talking about math formulas, aren’t you?

CodingGorilla

Not specifically, I’m talking about anything. My son had a [simple] C++ programming assignment the other day, and as a software engineer myself he just wanted me to give him the answer. I tried to walk him through understanding the problem and actually engineering the solution; he couldn’t do it. You have to actually try to talk them through problems like this to understand what I mean, I guess. It’s like trying to get someone to do a connect the dots puzzle when they can’t count.

Mario Kane

I have three Millennials too and I homeschooled them all. All but the youngest (he’s 17 with adhd) knows how to think critically. Homeschooling is the answer even if it takes a major sacrifice in income.

ALWAYSTOMORROW

ADHD, you mean hyperactive? That is what they called it in the 60’s, just plane old hyperactive. I had/have it. It is not a disability it is a blessing.

algol2000

I admire your courage. You know where the true value in life lies. In bringing up progeny carefully, and not in making “money”.

robertgriswold

The absolute worse culprit in the dumbing down of our children is the intentional effort and design of the “publick skool” system. Anyone who knows anything about the communist design to take over our country knows it goes through education. It is and has been their stated goal. The fact that Christian parents, or any parent can send their children into the institutions of lower living amazes me. It is time for us to take the responsibility of our children’s education back. God demands that we are their educators. The admonition of “Train up a child” falls squarely on the parents.

Second, is to get rid of the video games, we removed TV and Video games years ago, we read together. The difference is amazing. .

Lazarovic

So send your kids to private school. What’s the problem? Oh, you want the public to pay for it! Now I get it! Sounds communist to me.

robertgriswold

I am sorry you have such a myopic view of alternate education means, there is the homeschooling choice, that is what we do. Studies shoe that even a single mother without a high school diploma will product better results if using a online line home based education system. However there are homeschooling coops, church based schools that have scholarships for poorer families and yes private school. Who in the world said anything about the public paying for it. Let the the money that a person pays in taxes for education go to the choice better suited for their family. The government spends an average of $12,000 a year for each student with 40% of it going to cost of operation, massive waste and fraud and that with pathetic results, no business could survive that failure rate. The private sector could do far better with much less. So in fact, I am for freedom, freedom for the tyranny and indoctrination of the communist, leftist based system of indoctrination and freedom of educational choice.

K

The two main factors I see. 1. A total lack of critical thinking. If a professor says something, he must be right. I tended to argue with mine. 2, A total lack of uncommon sense. Yes it used to be common sense. But there is no longer anything common about it. It is just part of the plan. Don’t think, don’t question, obey. This is how tyranny comes to be.

sistersoldier

Now that is critical thinking on your part. Good post.

Liberty First

We have deified “higher education”.

Barry Epstein

And that’s as it should be. Unfortunately, in America, stupidity is also deified. Just look at the leading Republican candidates for president.

Liberty First

Are you joking about “higher education” or did your mommy forget to take out your pacifier?

Barry Epstein

Thank you for confirming the second part of my post.

Liberty First

Lol, if you wanna see it that way, be my guest.

James Scott

Barry is just another anti white jew.

David_R59

And, let’s not forget the Democrats ( and anyone who votes for them ).

Malcolm Reynolds

in America, stupidity is also deified. Just look at the leading Republican candidates for president.
I think you meant to say ‘just look at the democrat constituency and all the accommodations those retards need just to live their lives’

SunnyFlaSnotress

Barry is right.

Lennie Pike

Howard Johnson is right!

SunnyFlaSnotress

What about?

Lennie Pike

His ice cream parlor.

That he built with his own two hands.

Malcolm Reynolds

Yes, he is correct that Trump is a loon and a moron.

Bill G Wilminton NC

WRONG……Want your Oreos Made in the USA……VOTE TRUMP 2016

Malcolm Reynolds

So are you, so I wouldn’t expect you to get it.

Want your Oreos Made in the USA
Sure, but if you think Trump is going to fix it, see comment #1.

Bill G Wilminton NC

Trump may not have the opportunity to fix it, and if Trump is elected he may not have the time to fix it !

This financial collapse coming is all by design to accomplish New World Order.

Malcolm Reynolds

Then stop yammering like he’s going to.

Bill G Wilminton NC

Its amazing how much you dont know how much you dont know……….

Trump is the only one……….

Malcolm Reynolds

Brainless sycophant it is.

Barry Epstein

As much as I would love to get into a battle of wits with you, I make it a rule never to fight an unarmed man.

Malcolm Reynolds

well after the lil one sided gem you squeezed out, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but being in basic of denial about the demo nutter constituency means the only thing you likely have a firm grasp of, your mother prolly had to constantly tell you to stop holding so….

jamieobomber

Liberalism is a mental disorder. You cannot be helped. Just go about your life and think you can make a better America. Your party uses you and thinks of you as nothing more than another brainwashed ignorant voter. They don’t much care if you live or die as long as they stay in power.

greyprepper

That’s an excellent line. I’m gonna borrow that one someday lol!

Pat Kittle

That is an excellent line.

It was funny the first 87 times I heard it.

Bill G Wilminton NC

VOTE TRUMP 2016

Malcolm Reynolds

See comment #1.

TomIron361

I would be inclusive and add the democrats as well.

disqus_q0fJBDaGHm

You should be stupid enough to vote for some lying war criminal bitch!

sharonsj

Speaking about George W. Bush, I presume?

Rick Lumus

I’m no fan of the GOP, but Hillary and Bernie are not exactly shining examples of sapient Einstein thinking.

Barry Epstein

Bernie is, for those with the intelligence to listen to him and to understand how his policies would benefit America.

Rick Lumus

Bernie is, for those with the intelligence to listen to him, a con man. Free crap for everyone appeals to only the dumbest of America, you excepted, of course.

Barry Epstein

Free crap?? You mean like old age pensions and unemployment payments? How about bailing out corporations to the tune of trillions of dollars. Is that ‘free crap’? How about the perks the already-too-rich congressmen get, never mind the money they get from their corporate masters. How about the services that YOU get, like police and firefighters, and roads and sidewalks and highways and bridges. Free crap? No, it’s just a few of the many reasons you pay taxes. Bernie is only trying to give the people what they’ve already paid for, and trying to keep it out of the hands of the rich idiots who are trying to steal it for themselves. You’re a fool.

Rick Lumus

And you are an overly emotional snowflake. Go to your safe place, cupcake.

Barry Epstein

Thank you for your thoughtful and intelligent response. You’ve managed to totally crush my argument with a few well-considered words.

Rick Lumus

Bacon.

Bill the eighth

Since when is it the federal government’s responsibility to hand out pensions and unemployment? Bailing out the banks was stupid in the extreme. Even if Bernie somehow gets into the White House, he will never get the charlatans in Congress to give up their gravy train. I don;t get any of your so-called services and I still pay through the nose. If you really believe that old commie has your best interests at heart, I have some beach front property in Kansas I a sure you will be interested in purchasing.

Barry Epstein

You post that you don’t get police or firefighting services, use roads or sidewalks or highways or bridges. Really? It doesn’t enhance your credibility to lie like that, you know.

Aris

How about USA NAVY SPEND $3 per Year BILLIONS of FUEL, HOW ABOUT ARMY , AND AIR FORCE ????HOW MUCH FOR SPYING AND ETC ?? USE ALL THAT NOT TO FIGHT ENEMIES OF USA , BUT TO CREATE , AND OTHER REAZONS , HOW ABOUT $3 BILLION TO ISRAEL ,WAKE WAKE UP AMERICA ,YOU ARE LOOSING YOUR COUNTRY AS GREECE!!!

Cheyenne Seller

Heard that Haliburton charges the US govt $200 a gallon for gas to fuel the military tanks and trucks. 🙁

daniel reich

I believe it. The bastards who fleece this country should be tried and hung as traitors. Hillary Rodham should be placed at the front of the line.

daniel reich

I think Bernie has his heart in the right place. He’s the most decent of the bunch, anyway. I agree it won’t help. Not unless the people form a political movement around his presidency, should it happen that he wins. Power is never given up peaceably. It must be taken from those who have it, by any means necessary. Americans stopped being real people years ago. We all became sheep instead. As long as we have cars to drive and toys to play with we’re gonna roll over and do what we’re told to do, believe what we’re told to believe and most of all, buy buy buy what we’re told to buy.

BB

I could have told you Americans were morons decades ago. How else could one explain 40 million illegals in this country

bob cratchette

You fail to realize the tripe that alzheimers bernie is spouting is the same thing Greece and numerous other countries have tried and 100 per cent of the time it has failed. What the poster boy for dementia is proposing is the same plan that has made Venezuela the raging success it is.

Barry Epstein

No, it`s the same plan that`s making Denmark and Sweden and Norway and Iceland the envy of the world. Those nations are able to stabilize their economy, balance their budgets, give free schooling to their children through college, give health care to 100% of their citizens, and still enjoy among the highest standards of living on the planet (and BTW, Iceland sent many of their bankers to prison after the 2008 economic downturn instead of giving them more of the taxpayers money). As far as economics goes (which I taught at one time), you are a babe in the woods, and like most of your kind, a drag on America`s economy.

Jon

Unfortunately for us, the system Bernie espouses works well in Nordic countries due to low population numbers combined with huge oil/mineral income. Wyoming could probably enact a similar system in the states but besides that one state… well, the rest of us will just have to decide we’re capable of honest work and kick out the dishonest politicians that have squandered the money they’ve been given.

Barry Epstein

To be fair, they don`t all have huge oil incomes, but at least you have a realistic view of the what`s wrong with the system in America. It needs a rebuild from the ground up, driven by the people, and not inane rants about commies and soooocialists.

algol2000

When those states you mention become “socialist” enough, they will be invaded by the same bankers and capitalists, because socialist economies only grow to the point were they eventually fail under the weight of corruption of the ruling class and the banksters.

Everything in this world has a natural cycle.

Cheyenne Seller

Wyoming could have done that, but Wyoming is a staunch Republican state. It will not “give” anything free to its citizens despite the fact that it lets Big Oil come onto public lands and steal the natural resources of the people. Wyoming was making so much money with mineral royalties, that at one point, the people suggested that a rebate, much like the one enjoyed by Alaska citizens, be given to Wyoming citizens. Our state legislature decided against it. The extra mineral royalty money would be put in a “Rainy Day” fund instead. Right now, Wyoming is experiencing a “budget crisis” due to falling oil prices, and the Rainy Day fund is currently being tapped to bridge the budget deficit gap. BTW – Wyoming is spending over $500 million (that’s half a billion) to remodel the capitol building in Cheyenne during this “budget crisis”.

daniel reich

Tax revisions and a revamped foreign policy that stops all illegal wars would not only pay for everything we need, there would be a huge surplus.

Deanna Clark

Barry…Sweden made billions selling arms and steel to the Nazis…that’s why they grew some conscience.
Iceland, though….I like their style!!

sharonsj

Greece is being destroyed by capitalism, the European Union and the World Bank. Venezuela and other countries that depend completely on oil are having problems because the price of oil dropped precipitously. There’s a lot you fail to realize, buddy.

bob cratchette

you truly are a window licker on the short bus if you think the things you named were to blame for the total collapse of both of those countries. venezuela ran out of other peoples money to spend and the lower price of oil just precipitated it spiral downwards but it social programs an corrupt govt was its biggest down fall and greece the same they have way to many social programs as doe the usa which is on the same path as these smaller countries but believe me we are going to see a crash here that will make the great depression look like the good ole days. you ever heard of there are no free lunches well you and your ilk are going to find out it is true. a govt can’t promise people pensions and knowingly make promises they know they can’t keep. socialism has never worked in the history of the world and never will it is a corrupt system that always ends up with the govt officials and a few rich fat cats getting most everything while the masses get the moldy bread crumbs from their table. bernie sanders and hillary clinton are making promises they know they can’t keep and people such as yourself are just ignorant enough to believe them.

Cheyenne Seller

Learn to spell and punctuate please.

bob cratchette

Looks like others got the message there loser. Grammar nazi. Is that the best you got.

Cheyenne Seller

Is calling me a nazi the best YOU got?

bob cratchette

grammar nazi. not just a nazi mental midget you fail to comprehend the point i was attempting to make simpleton.

Susie

Bob…you’re certainly correct in what you said and I agree with you wholly, but the Grammar nazi is right, it would be nice if you could learn to spell and punctuate. It makes for easier reading and better understanding, especially by those that struggle with the mechanics of reading/writing. Best regards…

David Horace

You must must be struggling with the mechanics of life.

Sallee Gotlieb

oh yeah, and capitalism works, in that case why are there 30 million children living below the poverty line, in america???

bob cratchette

that happened under the eight years of an obama and the dems controlled all three houses so try again for a portion of that.

SusieQ

No, Sharon J, the whole of Europe is being destroyed by the socialist systems in place and the overwhelming numbers of illiterate, filthy, violent Muslim migrants (NOT refugees) descending upon it demanding free everything, and lots of money–which they’re receiving–as they rape and pillage their way through to Sweden–which, has now become the rape capital of Europe.

All of this chaos, in both Europe and here, has been perpetrated against the populations by the money powers, the uber-wealthy elites in order to effect their New World Order plans. It’s all on the books, all accessible in their publications. Do your research.

Deanna Clark

Please read more. The governments of Europe pillaged the colonies and third world for natural resources. Then, feeling conscience stricken at all the pathetic brown people, they created the socialist states…which had some good points (Like the same phone charges for Lappland in the far north as in Stockholm) but many faults.
They patronized the unfortunate with pseudo Christian social engineering that was actually very arrogant…and hence, not Christian.

Pat Kittle

More precisely — the “New World Order” is primarily promoted by the Israel lobby.

It’s the Israel lobby that keeps pushing massively unsustainable immigration into Western countries — BUT NOT ISRAEL!

daniel reich

We aren’t Greece. We are literally bleeding money to prop up wall street and pay for illegal wars.

bob cratchette

you phrased that wrong we are not greece yet but we are quickly approaching that situation. face it we are 20 trillion in debt and running budget deficits every time they make a new budget. 20 trillion will never be paid back. america will default. look at japan. america is run by morons and inhabited by a lot of morons also as we rush headlong into socialism thinking we can make it work just because we are america when in the history of the world socialism has never worked.
there is no need of us arguing about it you will not believe me until you see it happening but then it will be in full swing before it hits you. the only thing keeping wall street afloat now is the fed buying our debt. no one wants to buy our bonds now and china and russia are dumping their dollars now while they are still worth something. this will all end very badly just as it did in 2008 but the bad thing is there is nothing left to bail us out this time but china and russia have been hoarding gold and will be in much better financial shape than we are.

Ben Stigelman

Barry, you’re an idiot, but I know your type, and you’re mind is closed, and limited. You’re the kind of person I’d like to meet in an alley

Barry Epstein

So you don’t want a pension or unemployment security payments? And I”M the idiot? Never mind; I have the feeling that the kind of person you’d like to meet in an alley has two breasts and no standards.

He wants those things but doesn’t care if anyone else has them or not.

daniel reich

Calling that man an idiot is a reprehensible act. He’s no idiot. There are certain services government has to provide in order to maintain a civil society. Those things aren’t free either. They are supposed to be paid for with tax revenues. Unfortunately, the psychopaths in Washington would rather invade sovereign nations who elect governments we don’t like. Why spend money on education, infrastructure, transportation and healthcare ? Much more exciting to wage war on countries thousands of miles away. I think it would be exciting to meet you in person so I could wage my own little personal war, Benny-boy.

SusieQ

You are certainly correct about the uber-rich stealing from the citizens with the help of the bought and owned politicians. These bastards should all be strung up for high treason.

David Horace

Bernie’s brand of socialism will work because it’s different and better than all the other socialism that’s been tried and has failed for over a thousand years — because Bernie says it will work.
The fact that China and the USSR tried socialism and are now moving to capitalism is because they didn’t have Bernie’s brand of socialism.

Barry Epstein

Do you seriously not know the difference between communism and democracy? China and the USSR tried a communist brand of socialism, where the government owned the means of production. There was little incentive for innovation or hard work. Bernie is proposing democratic socialism, which many countries in Europe have adopted, at least in part, with great success. Here in Canada we have a form of it, and America would do well to follow suit.

David Horace

So, Bernie’s brand is better. Got it.

Deanna Clark

Yes, but it’s so boring…they drink and go to McDonald’s for coffee to sober up.
Some of the laws are very repressive as well.

animalogic

Good on you Barry. Nail-on-the-head !

Deanna Clark

Of course, the libertarians are the first to call cops if their property is touched…
It’s all a load of baloney,

we’re the only western nation that doesn’t have a national health service, or provide low-cost or even no-cost higher education. None of these are free, either. France, England, Germany etc. use tax revenues to pay for it. The USA is a backward country. The only thing the US government knows is war. War against brown people in foreign countries, war against the middle class at home, war against drugs, terrorism created by the US etc. It’s the only thing we like to do these days. Pathetic.

Rick Lumus

So, move.

daniel reich

I’m not going anywhere.

exomike

Do you say that to peoples faces in the real world?

Rick Lumus

Usually I add “You’re a knob” and walk away, but I was trying to be nice, cupcake.

Deanna Clark

Oh, you mean the government in Washington!!! I thought you were talking about America!!

Bill G Wilminton NC

BERNIE is a COMMIE……free everything ! But no mention of WHO is going to pay the 19 plus trillion DEBT and the free everything…….just comical that people believe this BS.

jamieobomber

Bernie was an unemployed bum for most of his life! His first job was in his forties!

Barry Epstein

You can lie all you like about Bernie. It only makes you look like a fool. After graduating from college, Sanders returned to New York City, where he initially worked in a variety of jobs, including Head Start teacher, psychiatric aide, and carpenter. And now he`s 80 and still working. How about you.

sharonsj

He is a Democratic Socialist, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt–or are you one of the stupid undereducated Americans who doesn’t own a dictionary or encyclopedia?

Bill G Wilminton NC

BERNIE is a COMMIE !

A Democratic Socialist is two farts from commie……….The economy is state owned( factories, land, businesses, housing, etc etc but you get to choose which commie tells you where to stand, sit, and fart…….

In the days of FDR everything was farmers, small businessmen and factories and USA sold product to the world…….

FDR put men to work with many social work programs like WPA then the war came and that is what got USA out of the depression.

The money won’t run out if corporations and the rich would stop draining the treasury. They’re always demanding that governments bail them out with other people’s money, and then they move their head offices offshore so that they won’t have to pay taxes in America. You’re looking in the wrong direction when you talk about ‘Totalitarian Collectivism’. It’s the already-too-rich who are stealing money out of YOUR pocket.

James Scott

your scummy tribe is in charge of those corporations you write about. You nasty jews play both sides of the fence but you are all simply anti white.

Barry Epstein

In the spirit of Christian charity I do hope that you can manage to deal with your mental problems soon.

Bill the eighth

You are delusional. Of course the corporations will run out of money, run out of market, or run out of the country. Bernie is a con and either a useful idiot or a real idiot.

The money won’t run out if corporations and the rich would stop draining the treasury
Well the chocolate Messiah seems to be leading the way in that, so why are you stupid enough to believe that the senile socialist wont? Doesn’t surprise me that you’re that ignorant.

CptMarvelous

I think you have the wrong villain. How do corporations end up with all these unfair advantages? Answer, the federal government. They structure taxes and regulation schemes to prevent free entry into the market, making their friends and donors billions and consolidating their power. Your buddy Bernie has been in DC handing out favors for how long? Government is not you friend, but for some reason you are intent on creating more of it.

Barry Epstein

And who elects those governments? Do you have a mirror in your house? Bernie is the only one promising to make this right.

CptMarvelous

My conscience is clear, my district got rid of Eric Cantor, his replacement Brat has voted no on everything including Ryan for speaker.
You realize Bernie has been a federally elected official for 26 years right? 26 years. He helped create this mess. Typical cognitive dissonance. Government creates problem, then makes problem worse, then says problem can only be fixed by government.
So you put your unearned trust in government and I’ll keep advocating for freedom.
Government creates nothing, only destroys.

Barry Epstein

Of course, Bernie has been fighting to fix this mess for 26 years, but it`s been an uphill battle, what with the Republicans opposing every progressive move and battling to maintain the status quo and trying to keep their rich `donors` happy.

Cheyenne Seller

If Bernie were to try to change anything, the same would happen to him as happened to JFK.

exomike

Logical…, maybe…

exomike

Many logical fallacies

CptMarvelous

Such as….?

exomike

In just the, “My conscience is clear” post?

Pretty much all I see in both your posts, misinformation, and right wing propaganda memes among the logical fallacies.

And don’t call me a Democrat or a Socialist, I’m a Monarchist. Bernie stands out from the Clown Car Candidates as the only one who would possible make a good King…, Perhaps a Philosopher King.

Cheyenne Seller

Yes, he is promising – just like Obama promised. Just like they all promise.

exomike

Logical Fallacy

daniel reich

Too late to form the kind of society that would be naturally free of corruption. Too many people to feed for an agrarian anarchy. Only small tribes with little hierarchy can remain egalitarian and honest. As soon as you need to produce a surplus, there becomes a necessity to lock up the food and proceeds.

exomike

Woooow! I’ve never heard that right wing meme before. Is that you Maggie Thatcher?
Now, how did “Bernie” and “Totalitarian Collectivism”, get in the same sentence together? What happened to Bernie’s New Deal Socialism?

AffinityNetNews

Who said I’m ‘Right-Wing’ ..?

I despise them just as much as I despise the left. Here’s what BOTH the Repugnant Party and the Socialist Democratic Party have in common … They are BOTH owned and controlled by the same blood money and corrupt elitist power, and have been for decades.

That ‘should’ be completely obvious but, sadly the Amerikan sheep are still too stupid and dumbed-down to realize what’s been shoved-down their ‘collective throats’ since the Coup after the murder of JFK.

What just happened here in my home state of Colorado proves that ‘We The Useless Eaters’ have no vote, and we have no voice, and don’t for a second think the left is any better as both parties are beyond corrupt.

Sanders is a mere ‘Collectivist’ he even admits he is. So, a vote for Sanders is a vote for more big, corrupt, totalitarian criminal de facto fraudulent occupational government which, by the way is actually a … Corporation.

(See: Act of 1871, Statue 28, UNITED STATES CORPORATION COMPANY 4/19/89 File No. 2193946, US State Code Title II Sec. 286, The UNITED STATES IS A CORPORATION under the IMF, The United States DUNS # 161906136)

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INCORPORATED aka USA Inc. (Do the research)

That’s how little people know about how we are all controlled. They have absolutely no idea that there is NO GOVERNMENT, just a massive corporation.

If Sanders is such a great guy then, why hasn’t he told you this ..? Or for that matter why have NONE of the candidates told us this ..?

I’ll tell you why because, they’re all apart of the ‘Big Club’ and we aren’t in it as George Carlin stated so perfectly.

So, with that said if you support big government – you support big fascist corporations and Sanders wants big government ultimately as all liberals seem to do as a matter of course.

You do the math.

Do you want Marxist/Fascism, or do you want Fascist/Marxism ..? Coke or Pepsi ..? The controllers who created BOTH don’t care which you choose … they always win, and ‘We The Useless Eaters’ always lose.

BOTH lead directly over time to Totalitarian Collectivism created by the ruling elite whether you like it or not.

There’s an old saying in the game of poker: “If you don’t know who the sucker at the table is … it’s YOU”.

The American people are the suckers at the table being screwed by the False Left-Right slight-of-hand fomented by the global ruling elite.

I worked in so-called TV news (illusion) for over 32 years for all the major TV networks from bottle washer to news producer and owning my own film and video company. I saw it all from the inside.

It is all theatre.

exomike

Hey, if you use a Maggie Thatcher line that I hear most of the time from the mouths of Rightwingers when they attempt to discuss socialism, you are likely to get tagged.

You really didn’t answer my question about Bernie and Totalitarian Collectivism in the same sentence, especially the Totalitarian Part.

I see some places where we could come together.

Here’s something I wrote to a Moronic Marine the other day who had nothing but ad hominem attacks in his repertoire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SSgt Reynolds,
Even though you “rose” to the level of SSgt in 10.5 years it is very obvious that your MOS was not 02, Intelligence. Otherwise you would not have your jar like head firmly implanted up the derriere of the common miss-directive meme of the left/right dichotomy.

Also, you are obviously not officer material or you wouldn’t have started you misdirected illogical response with ridicule, I.E. “Lamo”…, and, no you don’t get it. If I am indeed a moron I am a wingless moron. So you can’t even get your logical fallacies, I.E. your Ad Hominem attacks right.

As far as responding to my post, you have not. Your simplistic attack has zero semantic value in a real discussion and only serves to degrade the Corps. The world of Realpolitik from which 02 operates, has no left or right, it is a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

Obama is a shill for the establishment, the people who really rule. The Right, (Repubs) and the less right, (Dems) (there is no effective left in the USA) are in realpolitik are just one party and a lot like the WWE.

George Wallace once said, “there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the Republican and the Democratic parties.” They shot him three days later. Now that’s realpolitik!

AffinityNetNews

I believe i did answer you regarding Sanders and Totalitarian Collectivism. Let me say it another way: Sanders is a self-proclaimed ‘Socialist’ which means he is a self-pro-claimed ‘Collectivist’ or in other words, he adheres to the concept of ‘Centralized Power’ and centralized power historically speaking always over time leads to Totalitarianism so, by extension, would mean that technically speaking Sanders would be a ‘Totalitarian Collectivist’.

ALL the so-called ‘isms’ i.e., Socialism, Fascism, Fabianism, Leninism, et al, fall under ‘Collectivism’ except for ‘Individualism’. ALL were manufactured by the global ruling elite to foment a ‘Divide and Control’ paradigm or pogrom to subjugate ‘We The Useless Eaters’.

Centralized power is elitism or ‘the few over the many’.

This has been completely exposed here in my state of Colorado by the ‘Repugnant Party’.

James Scott

Bernie is a commie jjew. He is anti white and will speed up the dumbing down. Jews belong in camps awaiting deportation.

Malcolm Reynolds

Oh look, another anti-Semitic Hitler here to grace us with his keen insights as to who is the source of all our problems.

Pat Kittle

What was the “anti-Semitic” comment?

That Jews control the media, so criticism of Jews disappears?

Malcolm Reynolds

Idiot wanted to round up all the Jews and deport them.

Pat Kittle

Even the decent ones??

Malcolm Reynolds

/rolls eyes.

Pat Kittle

Apparently we disagree about this.

I think there are decent Jews.

Pat Kittle

Apparently we disagree about this.

I think there are decent Jews. I can’t post the link here, but you can look this up on YouTube:

“An honest Israeli Jew tells the Real Truth about Israel”

Malcolm Reynolds

“the Real Truth about Israel”
/rolls eyes.
Now do the reality of Arab terrorism against Jews and Israel.

Pat Kittle

Gee whiz, I find a whole lot of evidence about Jew supremacists’ terrorism…

I’m not allowed to post links, but anyone can do a search for the following quotes:

—–“Medical and Scientific Assessment of Israeli War Crimes:
Politics, Medical Journals, the Medical Profession and the Israel Lobby”

…and learn a whole lot about who the real terrorists are. And you know it.

Malcolm Reynolds

Whatever. It won’t change the fact that you and your kind are imbeciles to the Nth degree.

Pat Kittle

Hired Israel troll (“hasbara”):

As I said, anyone can do a search for:
1) “Lucky Larry Silverstein”… or
2) “dancing Israelis”…

…and learn a whole lot about who the real terrorists are. And you know it.

Malcolm Reynolds

You’re a low info anti-Semite that supports real terrorists, and you know it.

Pat Kittle

“Antisemitic” (definition):

A term endlessly brandished by Israel’s war criminals (& their apologists) with the intention of suppressing all questioning of their long criminal history; lately losing much of its oomph.

Malcolm Reynolds

LOL!
“Idiot” (definition):
See: Pat Kittle

Pat Kittle

I used to think Jews have a great sense of humor.

But I’ve seen too many like you.

BTW, you understandably don’t want anyone to do a search for:
1) “Lucky Larry Silverstein”… or
2) “dancing Israelis”…
…and learn a whole lot about who the real terrorists are. And you know it.

Malcolm Reynolds

BTW, you understandably don’t want anyone to research the reality of the terrorism you support or just to stupid it is when you cretins blame Jews for every ill.
P.S. Show me the video of them thar dancing Israelis. With proof that they’re in America on 9-11 and actually Jews please. No nutter conspiracies.
Should I grab them links of the arabs celebrating 9-11? You know, NOT nutter conspiracy theories. golly Gee beav, what pertinent news seems to be in the forefront recently? That’s right, here’s your cookie. Saudi involvement in 9-11.

Pat Kittle

Hired Israel troll (aka “hasbara”):

You pretend what I post is nonsense, BUT YOU FEAR IT ENOUGH TO HAVE IT DELETED!
🙂

(Anyone can do a search for…
[[[ hired Israel Internet troll ]]]
…and see PLENTY of evidence of who you are.)

Pat Kittle

Truthful comments only have to be censored by those who fear the truth.

Congratulations, Israel troll.

Malcolm Reynolds

“idiot” (definition):
A term appropriately used against any number of mouth breathing imbeciles that endlessly claim Israelis and Jews are the world’s purveyors of terrorism. Those same cretins are invariably Arab terrorism deniers.

Pat Kittle

“Antisemitic” (definition):

A term endlessly brandished by Israel’s war criminals (& their apologists) with the intention of suppressing all questioning of their long criminal history; lately losing much of its oomph.

Pat Kittle

Your kind are cowards who fear the truth so much you have it censored, as we clearly see here.

Deanna Clark

Somebody must have said something intelligent because a hired help got the whole post off track with mentioning “the Jews”……Now, who is guilty of being intelligent here?

Deanna Clark

No, they don’t. Many run the media…but none own them. They’re the help. Got it?

Pat Kittle

Let me help you with that…

Here’s Jewish Joel Stein (then of the Jewish L.A. Times, currently with Jewish Time Magazine):

“…I don’t care if Americans think we’re running the news media, Hollywood, Wall Street or the government. I just care that we get to keep running them.”

— [Search: “Who runs Hollywood? C’mon”]

Got it?

Deanna Clark

Time-Life was Henry Luce….look it up. Look up Claire Booth Luce, his wife. Look up Cardinal Spellman.
If you want to blame Jews, at least avoid obvious errors.

Pat Kittle

I’m stating facts.

What’s your point about Henry Luce?

jamieobomber

Benefit?

Malcolm Reynolds

BWAAAAHAHAHAH! You were saying something about me being intellectually unarmed and then tried to extoll the virtues of a communist.
I’m pretty sure I did say something about the democrat constituency being full of retards. Tag, YOU’RE IT! Lmfao! Awww man, thanks for that.

Barry Epstein

It’s patently obvious that you have no clue what a communist is or how a communist government operates. You need to educate yourself before posting on adult websites.

Malcolm Reynolds

It’s patently obvious that you have no clue what a communist is or how a communist government operates

“Bernie is, for those with the intelligence to listen to him and to understand how his policies would benefit America.”
-For your information, THAT is NOT a complete thought, unless you are merely commenting on his *existence*, which is not in doubt as far as I know.
You make the point of the article, Epstein.

SusieQ

No, he isn’t. He’s another socialist hack and a career politician. Do some serious research on good ol’ Bernie, and go all the way back to his Communist agitator days. Give it a whirl, why don’t you…..

No, I did not like JFK, but to be honest, he was definitely better than any democrat of today is.

exomike

That is very likely to be true. There are no real Democrats. Certainly not Obama. Worse than Bush II

Bill G Wilminton NC

VOTE TRUMP 2016 and your OREOS will be made in the USA……

Midnight Gardener

Or the democrats…the two wings of the bird of prey known as government.

Steeve Girard

Not defiled, it was too perfected, and we still try to perfect it more when we should not, thus breaking the system by straining it.

TomIron361

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain…

Alan C

People without higher education have always tried to make themselves feel better by putting it down.

Liberty First

Alan C. Trust me when I say that I have more education in the 5 fingers of my left hand than you have in all 10. You can call me Dr., you can call me Esquire – whatever, sport – it is what it is.

Alan C

I seriously doubt that counselor but congrats on your JD.

exomike

I thought so at first but this is evidently different. This may be a good opening to get some depth into this discussion. I’ll be back later.

exomike

Go back to school. Finish this time.

Liberty First

Seriously, my multiple doctorates just made me stupid. So I try to avoid “academia” as much as possible.

exomike

Ok, I’m starting to get the idea on higher education after 1975-1980. I’m working a response. Remember this, the dumbing down of the 99% is not accidental. I went to school in the 60s.

SunnyFlaSnotress

I’d say it’s the total opposite of what K says.
Rather than a lack of critical thinking, more of today’s people know not to trust authority. Therefore, the things that professors etc say don’t impress modern people as much.
Common sense is likely the same, though in a society where things are handed out more easily, less efforts tend to be made.
Far gone are the days of slavery. Blind obedience is NOT the fashion of the day.

Steeve Girard

It has some sense in it in some parts, that is why you get a like.
.
And yes Americans are still more intelligent than in the past, but it’s dwindling. 22nd Century Americans will have more in common with 19th Century Americans than the 20th or 21st Century.

David_R59

US citizens are not more intelligent than the past.
Poorer nutrition is a partial cause of the dumbing-down. Soils all around the world are getting worse each year and the addition of GMOs and numerous toxic herbicides etc. are all having an effect.
I’m 68 now and I see 14-15 yr olds that think their skate board is the most important thing in their life.
Simply learning how to read an analogue clock is completely beyond their ken.

SunnyFlaSnotress

Senile David obviously resents youth.

4366money

At least David has two or three functioning brain cells, unlike you.

Raymond Chow

Majority of the stupid people in America are left winger like you so what do you have to say about that? The proof is everywhere, you can talk to people anywhere and they all think like you, stupid as can be and all Obama voters.

SunnyFlaSnotress

I’d say you’re a Moron.

Raymond Chow

And you’re an idiot. At least a moron is step up over an idiot.

SunnyFlaSnotress

You’re an asshole. Worse than an idiot.

Daystrom2012

Part of the problem is that there has been an increase in god-less pagans such as psycho boy above. We’ve taught our children self esteem and evolution and whatever else the nut job above took whilst in school and this is why we have what we have. When your life is done what have you to look forward to? It may not frighten you now but one day it will haunt you into sleepless nights until you draw your last breath.

Unless you repent, you will perish.

Steeve Girard

(You are being zap by a bolt of thunder, from our Thunder God: Zeus, Jupiter, Odin,…)

SunnyFlaSnotress

God is a FairyTale for those who can’t cope with harsher realities.

Lennie Pike

Reality doesn’t get harsher than choosing persecution or even crucifixion over losing one’s soul.

Malcolm Reynolds

Interestingly enough, those that believe in God still cope with the same realities you think you do so…

dookey

I just want to know if a vegetarian would eat an animal cracker.

ahf

I’d say reading this thread proves the article is true.

old soldier

For whatever it is worth, as a person involved in education, the article appears to be “on target”. A an example of this: students in elementary school work in groups of 4-5 individuals to complete daily assignments. It is called “team effort”. How they learn anything is a mystery, since one or two students do most of the work. Another example, is the other day me mentioning the Vietnam War in passing. Not one student knew what it was. Most asked ” Vietnam? What is that?” Common sense or lack of it has nothing to do with the statement students “knowing their lessons.” As for being Americans being informed, I would have to say (I put in time at a college as well) from experience first hand, most students have no interest in current or past events nor any interest in learning the three R’s.

SunnyFlaSnotress

maybe you have been involved with cracker or ghetto schools

Jodie Lynn Gaeta

Even a “cracker” or “ghetto” school ought to teach pupils basic history, English, and math.

SunnyFlaSnotress

And I’m sure they do.. but fostering the right mentality/intellectual curiousity is questionable.

Rosie46

How insulting to women, and slavery is not gone today — the liberals have enslaved the blacks to their welfare handouts.

SunnyFlaSnotress

I’m not saying it to be insulting to women. I’m female myself. It’s just a basic truth that the typical woman of the 50s 60s would not tinker or work with anything electrical, electronic, or technical on a technician level.
Oh yeah, DramaQueens always whining about the economic slavery in America, but in the end, we are all welcome to love or leave America.. freely.

Voldemort

Yup, it’s true that women rarely drove vehicles back in the good old days. That’s why there were no car wrecks! 😀

Deanna Clark

Slavery? More slaves today than ever before in all history…how many work for you folks? Check your tuna, your clothes, your office supplies, your shrimp. The slaves who peel shrimp in Thailand don’t even have names, only numbers.

Pat Kittle

And don’t forget the White slaves of Israel’s prostitution industry.

Proof of that can be found fairly easily online, though of course “our” mainstream media cover it up (which also explains why this comment, like many of my previous comments, will likely disappear).

Jodie Lynn Gaeta

More Americans go to college today, but that in itself doesn’t mean they are more knowledgeable. I don’t have any hard statistics on this, but I do recall a geography professor I had some years ago who daily lamented how ignorant his students were: “And it gets worse every year!” Of course, that was his opinion. But Americans’ verbal skills have certainly deteriorated over the decades: that is an observable fact.

Education is not about sitting in some class listening to some drivel not applicable to real life.

How “educated” was Henry Ford?

Voldemort

Education is entirely overrated. You do understand that the owners of tiny, local landscape companies are making far more money than any “educated” white collar with a puny little six figure salary, right?

Kristen

You are wrong. I teach in a local college and can say, without equivocation, that my students are mind-bogglingly ignorant not only about basic facts of the past and present, but about ways to confront ideas that may be wrong. I rarely get challenged, as a prof., in any constructive way, unfortunately. Students simply take up information blindly. All those years of so-called “critical thinking” crap taught in high school have weakened their minds to the point where they look at each other crab-wise before they think for themselves. This is the most dependent, uninteresting and ignorant generation in American history. Tragic, but true.

I agree, though, that the Internet can be a great source of information available to all, irrespective of income. If your concern is for students who can’t afford the tools of education, such as a few minorities as well as non-minorities, the struggle isn’t for access to information, it’s for the desire to find it as well as the knowledge of what to do when they get it.

To say, too, that women were unable to fix electronic gadgets in the 1950s is incredibly sexist. Of course they knew as much as anyone else. Men and women were baffled by some of the new appliances, but the brightest of both gender could and did figure them out.

Malcolm Reynolds

Therefore, the things that professors etc say don’t impress modern people as much.

Then how have those professors managed to indoctrinate those modern people that socialism is all that and a bag of chips?

Blind obedience is NOT the fashion of the day.

explain democrats. explain why we still have the WOD.

and rightwingers tend to be inordinately blind
Just not as blind as you cretins and your never-ending quest for authoritarian govt.

Americans are far more educated than they used to be..
Statistics and reality aren’t your friend.

sharonsj

If people didn’t trust authority, why do they believe every lying piece of crap coming from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh? I’ve heard Rush make claims that I could refute by a measly five minutes spent researching the internet.

Saw a great t-shirt that said..
” Common Sense is so rare it should be considered a Super Power”

So True!

Jo

We could all use more truth and common sense.

Steeve Girard

Panic makes people do things they would not do normally. Have you ever thought that governments are having panic attacks coupled with paranoia and schizophrenia.
.
Politicians need to have regular sessions with shrinks, or they eventually lose it.

Yoandri Dominguez

You’re basically talking about critical pedagogy, as I know it or imagine it, at least.

TomIron361

True, but you’re forgetting they’re lazy as well. In my neighborhood a young guy was so lazy, he married a pregnant woman.

isnamthere

I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the right wing in this country has been cutting anything to do with actual learning other than intense job training.

The arts, philosophy, civics, etc. all have to do with a well-rounded education. But you righties want to gut this kind of education in the search for better workers to make your rich brethren even richer. And when you do want history taught in schools, you want to re-write that history ala Texas textbooks.

And then turn around and blame it all on instructors, institutions, etc. You people are pathetic.

Joe Samples

Excellent points.
People no longer learn HOW to think, but are told WHAT to think. This is much easier.
This with the added problem of Political Correctness which demands NOT to think about ideas or solutions that may offend someone or some group.
Very sad what we have become.

The beginning of the end of American public education began in June 1962 when the Earl Warren Supreme Court (9-0) vote took voluntary prayer out of public schools. Out went God and in came the devil. God is not mocked and the response is far worse then what this article espouses.

Lazarovic

So, God is punishing American because we pray at home or in private instead of in school, out loud and in public? Maybe you need to read the part where Jesus says to pray in your closet, in private, where your heavenly Father sees in private and knows your needs. You forgot, didn’t you?

GSOB

God’s eternal purpose is to have a group of people
created in His image and in His likeness
to be filled with Him as life, to express Him
and represent Him.

Preacher62

No God is punishing America because there is no reverence or obedience to God in the hearts of most Americans, and the few prayers being uttered are of God to restore to America the very things that separated us from him to begin with.

jox

Yes. You should implant Sharia…er, sorry, ‘christian values’ in school.

Malcolm Reynolds

Well, at least you showed up to say something stupid.

jox

No. It was ironic. What is stupid is to suggest a relationship between public prayer in schools and the level of education

Malcolm Reynolds

Think deeper. I know it’s hard.
Your kind removed all moral codes and the schools are now overrun with people that have no desire to learn or behave. Golly gee beav, I just cant figure out why teachers are failing.

Gay Veteran

don’t you have a street corner to pray loudly at?

Bill G Wilminton NC

ITS TIME FOR YOU AT THE BATH HOUSE !

Gay Veteran

hey Bathhouse Bill, I’ll see you there for happy hour.

Bill G Wilminton NC

……Vote Trump for Pres. 2016

…..Keep OREOS made in the USA

rentslave

In Hudson County,prayer continued for one more year.Then,JFK was killed.

pulltheweeds

Bring back neighborhood schools where children can walk to school .
Eliminate this fifty year old philosophy of consolidation .

Steeve Girard

Not possible in world of dwindling energy and increasing strain. You will have to wait until the energy level and the pressure of overpopulation goes down and levels, to be able to make that happen.

Malcolm Reynolds

Bring back neighborhood schools where children can walk to school

Not possible in world of dwindling energy and increasing strain
Sometimes I think you’re the resident pole smoker’s twin, opening your mouth just to open it.

Steeve Girard

Ah, the dream of immortality taught by the “wiener” cults. It will shatter one day, and the truth will be so evident to you, when you will really face the “final event”, not just see it on TV or from a remote perspective.
.
Until then, you do not understand what I am saying, you are on the other side of a 10 foot fence set by your kin, to block the view of the ugly truth. We control nothing! That includes our so called leaders.
.
I am not opening my mouth for nothing, I am just pointing what will prevent the Nirvana you all seek.

Malcolm Reynolds

You’re crazy. I mean, just pure nutsy foofoo.

Lazarovic

It’s not the teachers, they’re just employees of the the system. It’s the administrators and superintendents and state legislatures that refuse to spend any money on education. If you stick a teacher who’s paid 40k a year in a classroom with 50 kids and 25 twenty- year- old textbooks and nothing else, of course the outcome won’t be good. Follow the money, or lack thereof, and you’ll find your answer.

doctorivy

If spending money resulted in a smart society America would be much smarter now than in 1955. It isn’t.

Lazarovic

I see, you’re an expert then. So, 50 kids in a room meant for 25 is OK, and two kids sharing an out of date textbook is a good idea? You must be a state legislator!

Malcolm Reynolds

I see, you’re an expert then.
Well at least you couldn’t rebut him and then foamed at the mouth instead.

TomIron361

The point is, are they learning what’s in the out of date text book?

CodingGorilla

I agree with you in the sense that it is not necessarily the teachers (although I have met plenty that are a problem), it is definitely a societal problem (and not a simple one). I disagree with you, and agree with @doctorivy:disqus that spending money is not necessarily the solution.

Kat T

As for the money aspect spoken of here? In Western KY there are school taxes tacked on to “every!!!!”thing here, but if you weren’t born with some kind of ball in your hand ie, football, basketball, soccer ball, baseball, even golf ball!!! you will never reap any of the benefit of all these monies. Sickening, all the wasted resources and wasted children’s lives just getting flushed.

MeMadMax

It’s not THAT bad.

In certain states it is in certain cities yes.

I have 4 kids and we have lived in several large cities including los angeles and (currently) SLC. Los Angeles was bad but it wasn’t like you described…….

Daddyotis

Oh PUH-LEEEZE!! STOP with the “no money for education” meme. We’ve heard it all before…from the teachers unions…from the govt comptrollers…it’s BS!!! Always around union contarct negotiation time, we drag out this argument that it’s “for the children” and “teachers are barely surviving on so little money for SO much work”. Contrary to that, teachers are actually very well paid, considering they only work for ~180 days per year, and have full medical and assorted bennies. I refuse to cry a river for that. Get real, dude…or maybe you’re simply a state legislator who is completely blinded by the rhetoric.

Steeve Girard

Hey both opinions have actually good stuff in them… I’ll like button then both

Preacher62

I am a teacher and you are correct. My salary is adequate even though my state ranks last in the nation in teacher pay, but compared to the rest of the population that is living on minimum wage I am pretty well off. The benefits are okay, much better than not having any. The money problems in education stem from the amount of revenue thrown down the crapper in trying to find some new teaching method every single year that will prevent the schools from turning out illiterate graduates. There is SO much money wasted on trying to educate thugs and ne’er do wells that have no desire for an education, but are mandated to attend so that they can receive the proper government indoctrination; i.e. the science and social studies classes that teach a life without God as being acceptable and desirable. Oh and I work a lot more than 180 days a year. I average 55 to 60 hrs a week which I think earns me my 6 weeks off in the summer.

Steeve Girard

It’s your choice of being unable to say no to stuff you know it does not work. No one will sympathize with you on this.

Preacher62

No idea where you think I am looking for sympathy.

Steeve Girard

Of course you are not looking for sympathy… I meant the other people, the public… they give none.

Malcolm Reynolds

It’s your choice of being unable to say no to stuff you know it does not work.
Ummm, no.

sistersoldier

God bless you for your dedication and courage to teach in today’s educational system.

Preacher62

Actually I love the job itself. I get paid to play with teenagers all day in woodshop. Most fun I ever had. Its the bureaucracy and the idiocy of the system itself that is depressing, but I just ignore it as much as possible and focus on the kids.

sistersoldier

I believe you. I have young ones in school 2nd and 4th grade. I am a strong advocate of education as without it you reduce your chances of success significantly in this culture. To meet a teacher who still cares and is still diligent in training young minds and molding character is an honor and a privilege. I wish there were more like you. God bless.

Gay Veteran

why would a science class say anything about “god”?

Preacher62

Oh I don’t know maybe the same reason you might mention your father if discussing your existence. Without acknowledging the creator every “fact” of science is no more than conjecture and inherently flawed.

Gay Veteran

you confuse a science class with a theology class.
of course you only want your “god” recognized as the creator

Preacher62

Actually that is what God wants. What I want is irrelevant to the matter at hand.

Gay Veteran

interesting that you think you know what “god” wants

Preacher62

He told me, so yeah its not hard to know. Its all in the Bible which you hate just as much as you hate God because the truth is not what you want to hear.

Gay Veteran

thy shalt not bear false witness.
don’t hate the good parts of the bible.
don’t hate “god”
the truth is self-evident

Preacher62

LOL, the good parts. You mean the ones that you don’t believe apply to you. God is truth and what you and I believe about something has no bearing on whether it is true or not. To believe it does is the definition of rebellion and hatred of God.

Gay Veteran

thy shalt not bear false witness.

good parts include “Do to others what you want them to do to you.”

Bill G Wilminton NC

WHY NOT…….He is only the CREATOR !

Evolution is a theory and Creation is a theory and both should be taught in school.

Gay Veteran

oh bill, tell us again about the ark and the tower of babel

Malcolm Reynolds

“If you stick a teacher who’s paid 40k a year in a classroom with 50 kids ”
Then why do private schools do far better? Why do home schoolers do FAR FAR better?

But hey, at least you have the ol democrat mantra of mo money mo money mo money down.

Chuck

“Idiocracy” was an entertaining look into the future, but I also enjoyed “The Outerlimits S3 E5 Stream of Consciousness”

Taken from wiki:

“Due to a brain injury, Ryan Unger cannot enjoy the benefits of a neural implant that allows other people to tap into The Stream — a direct connection into all human knowledge. He tries, unsuccessfully, to keep up with everyone else by using a long-forgotten skill: reading books.

Unfortunately for the human race, the Stream has been erroneously programmed to crave information instead of knowledge. Soon, it begins to turn the human race into its slaves to attempt to locate and process every single bit of information, a process that will lead to the Human race’s extinction as people stop doing everything to obtain the desired information.

Ryan’s injury keeps him from falling under the sway of the Stream,
leaving him the only person who can stop it. The Stream will not allow
itself to be shut down, however, and it commands the humans under its
control to defend itself from Ryan. In the end, Ryan succeeds in
shutting down the Stream and saving mankind. Cut off from the mental
crutch humanity has used for so long, the entire population (save Ryan)
are reduced to a childlike mental state. Ryan finds himself needing to
teach mankind the old ways of acquiring information again — from books.”

Sounds a bit familiar to today’s smartphone (I think of it as a dumbphone) but of course without the implant feature yet.

Kat T

I enjoyed that episode.

Steeve Girard

Saw it also on alluc.

doctorivy

What happened? Simple. When Joe McCarthy warned us that enemies of America were infiltrating our education system (and government, and media) he was successfully portrayed as a kook on a “witch hunt.” Now we’re living with the results. Kids aren’t taught reading, writing, and arithmatic. They’re taught recycling, that our founding fathers were racist terrorists, and they read biographies on Wanda Montoya and Nat Turner.

voltaic

And most of them end up at a site like this reading more Internet nonsense! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! There is a reason less educated people support Trump and it’s because they like a candidate with big brain and hands! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I know, you blame the democrats and liberals and progressives, while ignoring that 30 states are run by republicans and that the dullest of the dull are GOP strongholds in the south.

You have seen the enemy and it is you! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

dawith

Too much LSD?

REALIST

The schools & Universities were dumbed down due to Brown vs Board of Education, FORCED busing and forced integration.

If you hold school to higher standards, mostly Black students will fail. This is considered RACISM due to the religion of Equality. As long as we, White people, refuse to accept race-based IQ differences, as well as behavior, we will have this problem.

This is why we had separate schools for Blacks and Whites. For hundreds of years, the school system recognized the racial differences. But, with secular humanism (equality) and Religious based myths (equality) we have completely distorted society and are killing it on the alter of “feel good” poison.

The solution is easy to see but, at this time, impossible to effect. But, a solution is coming, soon. I hope you are prepared.

Steeve Girard

Black people are not dumb, they are just genetically and behaviourly different from Eurasians. If the Neanderthals would have been alive and well, we would have insult them racially as much we are doing now. And yet they were stronger and better meat hunters than most of the Eurasians. Like most black people have better reflex time and finer “on the field” craftmanship than most of us the Eurasians.
.
If you say autistic people are dumb, you might be in for a rude awakening, some of the best scientists were autists.
.
For a lot of you, being Abrahamic, just make you unable to appreciate properly the diversity that Nature offers, and it’s advantages.

TomIron361

No – they’re dumb alright…

Bill G Wilminton NC

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL……

Pat Kittle

You’re claiming Blacks are superior in areas where they are superior.

But you’re denying Eurasians are superior in areas where they are superior.

Your tiresome political correctness is NOT scientific.

Steeve Girard

It has nothing to do with political correctness. It as to do with differences, using Eurasians as a benchmark to compare to. Eurasians have some superiorities too, but I would have to change the benchmark to compare to. and the deleted comment was very not diversity friendly (In the biological and environmental sense).

Pat Kittle

It would be refreshing if for once one of you SJW’s would simply say:

“Yeah I’m P.C., and proud of it!”

Your tortured rationalizations do not become you.

Joltin Joe

This is BY DESIGN, the government wants you stupid so you don’t challenge them and you rely on them for your very existence. the dumbing down of america didn’t just happen, it was PLANNED! DOE, dumbing america down since 1979

sistersoldier

Agree.

sistersoldier

Finally an article that sums it all up!

Mr. Cipher

Further evidence in 321..

GSOB

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.

Mr. Cipher

What does this have to do with the article you religious nut job.

GSOB

I’ll trust the Lord that perhaps you may figure it out.

dawith

why call him a nut job you blind Fcuk?

Steeve Girard

Well to write this, you must already have seen already a lot of garbage. Which means you are very affected too by stupidity.
.
Sorry Michael, that truthful joke had to surface.

Shirley Toney

I have a Masters Degree in Education and have taught for 36 years. I loved teaching and the students. I was so discouraged when the administrators started telling the teachers to make the test easier. We were told to give the questions to the test for them to study. Then they came back and said that wasn’t enough we had to give them the answers ahead of time to study and make the test shorter. I gave a 10 question test (questions and answers previously given). One student made 30 and another made 40. I tried many ways to reach these students but parents also complained. They wanted the teachers to not give homework or at least only in one subject per day. Our hands were tied. Many of these precious children came from drug using parents and they really didn’t have the ability to learn as they should have.

GSOB

Most Christians can’t recite the 10 Commandments in order.
There is a love that the Lord hates.
Most know the 12 zodiac signs much better than the 12 tribes of Israel, much less of all the Apostles.

The Lord is merciful and kind. He wants us to disciple all the nations, teaching them all that He has taught them, baptizing them in the name of the Lord.

Steeve Girard

Most Abrahamics do not understand that in reality, laws are not absolute, there are blurs that must be accepted as it is, because everything is entangle with each other. Making lines of separations is always a mistake, because things that have been separated always reconnect in a more dangerously reactive way.
.
You can say that things are most likely not what they are, or where they should end, but you cannot enforce them dilligently, because overtime, the strain and thermodynamics will destroy either any barrier by pressure, or deplete the energy source of the enforcer.
.
When it’s gone, it’s gone… point final. The World Trade Center should have never been rebuilt, it will become a target again, and be destroyed.

Bill G Wilminton NC

Laws made by man are not ABSOLUTE they can be changed by man…
Laws made by God are ABSOLUTE as they can only be changed by GOD…

You made an Absolute statement ” things that have been separated ALWAYS reconnect” always is an absolute please reword your statement.

Steeve Girard

You are right it is an absolutism, but it’s unfortunately a right one.

Rhino Horns

America has gone downhill as a culture ever since it threw out prayer and Bible reading in the public school system in 1962 and 1963. The Lord struck down that atheist, Madelyn Murray O’Hair, who initiated these lawsuits, by causing her, her son, and granddaughter to be murdered later in life.

Steeve Girard

Nope, you have to go further up the line… America has gone downhill since the beginnings of industrialization, they removed the subsistance life, with an abundance of energy, we humans were not design to be living like machines. We were designed to live community lives and we should have not gone beyond Basic Feudalism. But we did, and now we are going to slowly and painfully be acquainted with our true nature.
.
Also there is another error that is older than industrialization, that we humans made: out of our own ignorance at the time, we acted as if we were the center of the world, and Abrahamism is an umbrella of religions that reflects a lot of this ideology.

Preacher62

Actually it was the forced indoctrination of public education that marked the beginning of the end. Public education was simply established for the reasons that it has accomplished and that is to indoctrinate the population that the Government is God. See how well the tools of Satan work. Anything that is of the world is not of God.

Those who are disenchanted with God will deny any connection between prayer in schools (separation of church and state nonsense) and the almost absent moral compass in this nation. By giving our children the opportunity to participate in prayer every morning at the advent of their education we are exposing them to the presence of God. If we choose to shut our Lord out of the school system where formal learning begins many lose the chance to invite Him into their families and hearts as so many of our youth are cut down at a young age. We look on as God becomes smaller in the eyes of mankind because man has made Him irrelevant or powerless in this culture. This may be the only chance afforded to them to receive Him at their point of need and to ignite the passion of salvation.

America needs God more than ever. Students and staff that participate in a moment of prayer every day thereby create a canopy which becomes the panacea for all of our woes. Prayer is the linchpin that holds together order and decency. It was wrong to remove it. By putting it back we show God a measure of faith and national repentance. We therefore open a door for the Lord to move in our families, schools, and more powerfully in our nation as we are One Nation under God’s (authority).

The 1962 decision was unfavorable then and it is unpopular now among dedicated Believers in Christ and even non-Christians but it remains in place because of an evil foothold.. It’s likely that many students would distract or not participate but one thing is for sure they accept what the school and teachers uphold as “truth” so if the schools believe that prayer is good the students will most likely absorb that thought as beneficial.. The American Civil Liberties Union and Atheists may fight it but it seems they are the same groups who we are catering to by removing prayer. What about the rights of Christians? Are we no longer applicable in today’s world?

If God is for us then no one can stand against us, Amen. God is waiting in His perfect patience for those who are called by His name to rise up and shine with the brightness of the stars in one voice of praise and righteousness to stand in the gap for this nation. The Lord God Almighty still tarries with us even through our prayerless lives waiting for the just to declare that He is God and He is God all by Himself whether we choose to believe that He is or not He is still faithful. Shouldn’t His elect return the honor?

Gay Veteran

your religion is so weak you need the power of the state to push it schools

Malcolm Reynolds

your religion is so weak you need the power of the state to push it schools
Can you identify the hypocrisy in what you said? Yes, liberalism is a religion for the mentally deficient.

Gay Veteran

awwwww wuddle pegging malcolm, great strawman

you just want to use the power of the state to murder people in our endless wars of aggression

Malcolm Reynolds

Mmmm, nope.

you just want to use the power of the state to murder people in our endless wars of aggression
Tell us again about your support of this for Russia.

Gay Veteran

Tell us again about your support of America’s great “victory” in Iraq.
you know, the war which cost us the lives of over 4000 AMERICAN troops, cost us 10s of 1000s of wounded AMERICAN troops, cost us over $6 TRILLION.

you want to call liberalism a religion, fine, same can be said of conservatism

algol2000

Prayer will not do anything for you if you are not teaching the children the way of righteousness. Praying (or not) in school has nothing to do with it, Just religious pedagoguery
.

sistersoldier

There is power in prayer as long as God is still on the throne. “More things are wrought (accomplished) by prayer than this world can dream of.”
If I choose to cover my child with prayer before I send them to school, and if my child exercises their faith to pray to the Lord God of heaven in school, on the bus, in the car or on the playground then perhaps by the will of God a would be “sexual predatory” teacher or student will be restrained by the hand of God.

But you may practice your faith as it pleases you.

algol2000

Yes, prayer is very powerful indeed, because we are a product of our meditations. Good and evil begin from the heart.

You are a woman, and I will accept that. But for a man, who is head of the family, it is often not enough. He must enforce obedience to the law. A case in point is Eli, who failed to do his duty.

Preacher62

Added to the fact that so many people will go out and vote for a man or woman that 100 yrs ago would have been ashamed to show their face in public if their actions were made known. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and so as the fear of the Lord has diminished so has the IQ of the world and thus the point we have reached where ignorance is glorified.

sistersoldier

Amen and amen again!

REALIST

Which “Lord”?

Preacher62

Of Heaven and Earth.

SunnyFlaSnotress

lol.. Well we don’t have many proud slave-holder presidents these days… It’s all a matter of perspective.

Preacher62

The Presidents then were serving the same God that the candidates now are serving which is called mammon. The voters attempt to elect the one that is going to give them the biggest share of that mammon little knowing that the politicians only exist to take and not to give. That is ignorance personified.

Malcolm Reynolds

Well we don’t have many proud slave-holder presidents these days… It’s all a matter of perspective
You’re right, it is a matter of perspective. And when one considers that it’s a fallacy to believe that slavery is only black people picking cotton in a field, the first part of your assertion becomes false.

TomIron361

Yes, but I’m sure you will admit that as far as being presidents go, they were far better than these dummies we’ve got to pick from nowadays.

Charles Catalano

Ever wonder in bewilderment and amazement how someone like sociopathic bona fide sex criminal Bill Clinton, village idiot George W. Bush, America-hating communist Barack Obama or Machiavellian congenital liar Hillary Clinton could seriously be considered for any position above local dog catcher or Walmart Photo Department Assistant Manager, much less POTUS? *This* explains it …

Steeve Girard

Diversity is a *itch, it causes random reactions which we do not expect in an “orderly” and “lawful” society.

DJohn1

This dumbing down has been going on for a very long time.
What we must ask ourselves is who profits from this dumbing down the most? Answer that and we will know what is actually going on here.
When I was in school it became a contest as to who could memorize answers temporarily the best. That they were retested 6 months to a year later all of them flunked.
80% of knowledge learned in a public school is lost within a year.
If someone is forced to use that knowledge learned shortly after they have learned it, the loss of knowledge is far less dramatic.
I have been in school systems from California to Ohio. I have also been trained in an English school for about 4 months.
The English School was far more professional than any of the others.
Size of the class was approximately 10-12 students compared to 30-40 in one of our classes.
Individual learning was supervised much closer.
Students were tested in accordance with their actual knowledge and placed where they belonged.
Now this was many, many years ago.
It may have all changed by now.
Most Christians do not learn the Bible in school. IF they do learn it, it is from teachers in Sunday School.
They learn it from an antique Bible that does not have modern English in it. I refer to the original King James Bible with all of the thee’s and thou’s and no reference to the actual meaning of the translation.
The people that originally wrote the Bible were supposed to be people under God’s direction. But like any personal account, there are vague differences between the books of the New Testament. Was it one angel or more than one? Was the person supposed to go through the eye of a needle, or were they referring to the course hair of a camel not being able to enter the eye of a needle?
These people believed that the Earth was flat. If you traveled so far west you might fall off the edge. If you want to know where heaven is? Ask any preacher anywhere. They will point up. Where is hell? They will point down. Most no longer discuss where Heaven and Hell are. Some of the better ones do.
What is needed? I think the first step is to test for retention of materials in the students themselves.
The second step is to teach them how to retain information in their brains by changing the filing system we all use. Because that filing system does not always work right.
Making memory retention much harder than it needs to be.
The Chinese use a rote system of memory. That is they force the class to repeat over and over again until they can repeat it from memory.
The Korean system is that they limit class size to 10 people. They then grade those people from 1 to 10. So to be number 10 means you are just plain dumb.
The Memory Institute of Chicago uses a system of photo memory to memorize huge documents. Meaning that all memory is image related.
So if you associate a visual with the object needing to be memorized it might come much easier.
Nutrition also comes into it. If you have a really unbalanced diet, then school will be harder to learn. Your brain is actually starving. There are supplements out there that correct bad memory if taken regularly.
Background comes into it. If you are taught an incorrect way of pronouncing your vocabulary then class comes into it. Meaning you are lost before you begin.
IF you dress wrong, that also brings down judgment from the teacher.
Most important is a brain capable of filing things that are easy to recall.
Everything I have said here is well known.
So why are they not acting on it when children first go to school?
Because the dumbing down means a whole generation of people that have no clue as to what the lawyers are doing in Congress.
These same people make an image contest out of the vote for a President.
Who ever creates the best image becomes President.
And we have had some real classic people in the White House and they have done enormous damage to this country.
The current crop of politicians is no exception to this. They are all striving to produce an image that will make you and me see them as the only choice for President.
When the country produces advertising to the tune of many millions of dollars to convince every one of us that someone is not right for the Presidency. When that same party wants to reject the public choice and go with one of their own . . . then we are in real trouble here.
We, as Christians are particularly at fault.
The Republican Party and the Democrat Party are putting up candidates with criminal records in their backgrounds.
Ignorant people do not look up the records of votes in the U.S. Congress before the go to the election booth. And that vote counts.
I’ll answer my own question here. Who benefits from a dumb public? It is the political parties as we know them.

Lennie Pike

I know several people who are walking encyclopedias – one is very good with math – they are some of the stupidest people I know.

The ability to memorize “facts” is not intelligence – the ability to use logical deductive reasoning with a good dose of imagination thrown in based on fact – is. It is also an exact science – all who use it properly always come very close if not exactly to the same conclusions – and one doesn’t have to be super intelligent to use deductive reasoning properly – it is something that can be learned.

Funny thing – one doesn’t have to be naturally intelligent to be intelligent and vice-versa.

Willard Ferch

In 1984, at the age of 45, I went to college. I graduated 4 yrs. later with a 3.6 and a BA in psychology. There were many older students, and the younger students didn’t like that because it forced them to work in order to keep their grades up. In my first psych class of 245 students, the prof. was passing students that missed up to 75% of the test questions. I was astonished, to say the least. I finished highest in the class, and I’m not real bright. Read the book “Conspiracy of Ignorance”; it’s a real eye-opener. Fiddlin

Taos61

Dumbing down the public is the playbook of repubs as an idiot is much easier to manipulate than a person capable of critical thought.

Steeve Girard

Nope it’s not. It’s what happens when the Energy and Effort needed to maintain a structure becomes insufficient.

REALIST

Because all your money goes to breeding a sub-class of violent consumers.

Steeve Girard

No, because the effort you get out money dwindles over time. Even money has an EROEI.

Taos61

Stevie,it’s the repubs that continually cut funds for education thus the insufficiency in structure.Again,critical thought is a prerequisite.

Steeve Girard

nope, you have to find when and where the loss is made, it’s not at government level. It in the structure’s aging.
.
The government just has to do with what it has.

Taos61

I wish you could tell that to the mil/ind complex,as to why they need a morbidly obese budget of 600B/yr.

Malcolm Reynolds

I wish you could tell that to the FSA as to why they’ve needed 15+ trillion dollars since the WOP started and it’s solved exactly nothing.

Malcolm Reynolds

Like we’ve never heard you leftard buffoons utter this simpleton’s diagnosis before.

You seem to have failed math. The repubs haven’t CUT anything, they have diminished the raises in spending, and funding is still at an all time high.

As you were at least able to utter, critical thought is a prerequisite but, you seem to be bereft. Must be because some democrat cut the standards that applied to you.

grumpyhillbilly

No one cuts funding to schools. Teachers unions bemoan about never getting enough. Always sounds like an intentional work slow down to me.

Taos61

I guess you never heard of brownback’s cuts in Kansas???All but decimated education there,now the state is sitting in big pile of deficit *hit.

REALIST

IT does not come from the Democrats nor the Republicans. It comes from a higher level……those who one the Central Banks.

ThereIsNoFuture

Money isn’t the problem. Parents and kids are the problem. Many parents don’t parent their kids, they use school as a daycare and expect the teachers to raise their kids. These same parents are the ones who’ll allow their kids to run around unsupervised and then act SHOCKED when their precious kids attack someone. Kids are just as big of a problem as their parents. Middle School and High School kids are a nightmare. They are rude and violent. Have you been to a high school lately? There is a reason for metal detectors and security guards. Most don’t care to learn, most are interested in getting the latest shoes, a cell phone, designer clothes and the next boy or girl to sleep with them. Obviously, you haven’t spoken to anyone who is associated with teaching in an average Public American school today. Try speaking to one who tries to teach in an inner city school! Those places are war zones. Try putting the responsibility where it belongs and not on a scapegoat. You are part of the problem and one of the reasons why bad behavior is rewarded.

Malcolm Reynolds

Dumbing down the public is the playbook of repubs
Then how is it that leftism has controlled higher education since the 1800s and lower education for the past 40 years? Please, be specific.

michael schimanski

Look at what is happening in our elections today . We have people voting for hillary just because she’s a woman , not caring that she has lied , I can keep going on and on but you get the picture . If they would just look in to her record they would see the type of criminal she really is , but that does not matter to them , all that does matter to them is that she’s a woman .

REALIST

I think it is time for a woman, too. I’m voting for Caitlyn Jenner. She is a woman who can think like a man.

TomIron361

Bingo – between the younger moronic White population 18-34 and the minorities, she’s in like Flynn…

Mondobeyondo

The dumbing down of America has been very successful. You can see the results of it almost daily. Even something as simple as Facebook memes illustrate the lack of spelling ability among many of the masses. Yep, there teechurs taut them a lot in skool. It really is sad to see.

Americans as a whole don’t read anymore. We don’t have family time anymore. (Many of us don’t even have FAMILIES anymore!) Our entertainment consists of the NCAA Final Four and the Internet (and most of you know what the most popular subject/search topic on the Internet is. Nope, it’s not CNN.) Is it any wonder we’re in the Mess we’re in?

REALIST

BUT who is behind all this?

Lennie Pike

The Elders of Zion aka The Synagogue of Satan because they control the public schools, Hollywood, television programming, music, popular culture, etc. because they control “money”.

Lennie Pike

Oh yeah I forgot – “they” also control the “news”.

greanfinisher .

Perhaps I’m being cynical, but in lieu of the dismal job prospects out there, does it really pay any more to become an educated burger flipper?

REALIST

Get the training you need to run your own business.

greanfinisher .

You might have to work on the cheap as they can ill afford to pay for one’s services and wares these days. Even so, I suppose that might be preferrable than running up a $100,000 student loan tab just to land a fricking $10.50/hr CNC mill position.

sistersoldier

Ouch.

Kat T

Can you start your own business without capital? My word! Selling what? Bridges? I believe that’s what is labeled a ‘Con’.

greanfinisher .

I wasn’t talking about setting up a lemonade stand.

SovereignAmerican

This collapse has been at least 50 years in the making. I know, I saw it in college in the mid 60’s. You can’t pass if you don’t parrot the prof’s ideology. Fortunately I already had critical thinking skills and could see thru most of the miasma. Jimmy Carter cemented the decline with the Dept. of Education as his payback to the teachers unions getting him elected. Do a short study of the US educational scores and you’ll see the decline started then.

“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery.” –Thomas Jefferson: Rights of British America, 1774.

Stop, Drop, and Roll won’t work in Hell.

REALIST

The refusal to discuss RACE is why this nation is heading for one savage, violent Civil War. Since we are not allowed to discuss a real solution (not nice) we shall resort to horrendous violence. It’s not my fault.

Liberty First

Awesome piece with spot on conclusions.

Barry Epstein

This is the way America’s political and economic elite prefer it; a pool of voters who are too stupid to be able to see when they’re being lied to and manipulated (didn’t Trump say that he LOOOVES the poorly educated?), and a pool of workers who are too stupid to see when they’re being taken advantage of (don’t raise the minimum wage; we’ll all lose our jobs).

Dio Jones

Hitlers plan for taking over the youth has succeeded in America… Heil obama…

Always be a light that is .shininginthedark.

Lisa Binse

A quote from Albert Einstein ” I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”. Seems to be happening now. Logical deductive reasoning is almost extinct if not gone. Could that be classified as an extinct something or other species and have the EPA place it on the Endangered Species list.
Dangerous!,Dangerous!, Dangerous!

Steeve Girard

Yes it is happening now… Expert software and AI software are beginning to make decisions outside of human knowledge and control.

Richard Lucchesi

Moral decline precedes economic decline.

sistersoldier

Absolutely.

ThereIsNoFuture

Roman Empire is a good example…

AKmark

As a teacher in public schools, I have first hand seen from grade 4 to 12 the desire to learn slowly die in over half the kids. Their parents don’t really care enough to help the kids early in life, so by the time they are in kindergarten, they only want to play during school time when they should learn. By middle school, we have more kids in special needs who are emotional, not physical handicapped. They would rather play video games than apply time and effort in learning their ABC’s. Plain and simple, that’s the truth and the public school supports the weakness in the kids offering “special study” periods a couple of times a day to help the lazy unmotivated kids (teachers and aids actually walking kids through the work so they will complete incomplete work) get through their school day. Kids do not want to do the school work, even when they are given the class period plenty of time to complete the work. They would rather sit and visit, watch youtube, text on their cell phones or facebook. Take the cell phones away from the middle school/high school kids and some should recover, but that will be the day now. It’s just too late. Half the Kids have no motivation to even graduate from high school. The single parent or parents of the children let the kids stay up late at night/early morning playing XBox or other on line video games. What do you expect? It’s a spiritual issue, yes. The enemy comes but to steal, kill and destroy our youth. If parents aren’t teaching their kids that Jesus comes to give them life, life in the fullest, who will? Parents leave their kids to be brought up in satan’s domain. Results, a darker world than ever before. We need to pray for the parents and the kids to wake up and see the light of Christ.

greanfinisher .

Even sadder still, most high school graduates these days simply can’t read, write, spell, add, subract, or couldn’t tell you how many stars are on the flag.

grumpyhillbilly

As unsavory as this may be, blame affirmative action and multi culturalism. Critics screech racism about the Bell curve, but never question the results.

TomIron361

And just why do these “critics” against racism? Most of the nicest, loving sweetest people I know are racists. Critics shouldn’t stereotype a whole group of people because of a few bad apples.

Great article Michael. However, given the topic, I want to make a correction that I see many people make. You wrote : “In this article, he shared how one of his friends which had served for a
very long time as a high school teacher in Oakland, California…” – It should read : “In this article, he shared how one of his friends WHO served for a
very long time as a high school teacher in Oakland, California…”

ALWAYSTOMORROW

His poor grammar is part of the proof that his article is true.

Lennie Pike

You also are wrong.

ALWAYSTOMORROW

That is why I do not write a blog.

Lennie Pike

Did you make a correction that you “see many people make”, or did you make a correction OF A MISTAKE that many people make? I only ask because I hardly ever see anyone correcting the mistake the author made, by I do see a lot of people making that mistake.

If it was the latter, then you also made a grammatical mistake and should instead have written: “that I HAVE SEEN many people make” – and not that “I SEE many people make” unless you were actually seeing these people make the mistake at the exact time you were writing what you wrote.

I probably had one or two grammatical errors in what I wrote, or at least maybe an error in capitalization or pucuation – who gives a puc?

Lennie Pike

Oops I wrote “by” instead of “but”.

Lennie Pike

Actually, the words should be “have noticed” because “seen” of “see” implies the mistake was witnessed visually as it was being made.

Bottom line probably is – that none of us are English – we’re American, so lighten up Francis!

dlewenz

it is worse than what has been discussed. We have a demographic base that has been taught to expect ever thing is provided, by parents, and parents are to blame, for not bringing up their children correctly. Our Schools have been ran by bleeding liberals that have instilled everyone is a winner and we have no losers. Life is what you make of it. And we have a large segment of the population that could care less about being successful. This will have terrible effects on our GDP and the ability for the government to collect the needed taxes to keep the ship running.

ThereIsNoFuture

It’s all by design…

Mark Smith

Look at immigrants like Leonard Coldwell. Idiots like him are the reason America is getting dumbed down. Although one has to ask – why are Americans so easily misguided by the lies of fat balding sexual deviants like him?

rentslave

What Bill of Rights?The 10th Amendment exists only for states with Democratic Governors:These states can sell narcotics to school children(in effect),but states with Republican Governors are not allowed to give their citizens investment freedom as evidenced by NJ’s 5 year battle with the corrupt justice system to legalize sports betting.

TomIron361

fat boy is not a republican…

Jacynthia Read

I’ve been listening to the protesters on IforWars man on the street. It is very telling how uninformed and ignorant these high-school kids are. They know the mantra, but when asked for substance, they give that deer in the headlight look and cannot articulate why they believe what they say they believe. If they are the future, we’re doomed.

Bill G Wilminton NC

WANT YOUR OREOS MADE IN USA VOTE TRUMP 2016

SunnyFlaSnotress

DUMP TRUMP 2016

Mark

Oh Plz,
Who are you voting for???? Let me guess it starts with Hillary or maybe Bernie. A lying incompetent fool or a socialist ignorant fool. You must like the fools you fool.

TomIron361

don’t buy nabisco…

Bill G Wilminton NC

VOTE TRUMP or soon it will be “nabisco-mex”

Ed Lawrence

Interesting that this column is about how smart people in the US are, Mark Morford is a columnist not a reporter, there is a difference. If he were labeled a journalist then he would have fallen under that broad umbrella.

BS1986

My fiancés nephew couldn’t tell me what president was on the $50 bill.

ALWAYSTOMORROW

Who Moved My Cheese?

You must change with the times.

tacoma

Why is the American society gone stupid?
Because it pays to be stupid.
Then American society must be rich.
No. Only the stupid believe they get paid to be stupid. So they don’t get paid but believe they are rich. They thought drowning in debt is rich. They believe the whole world surround them with terror which only the government and the Pentagon can fight.
And so America’s mass of stupid goes to war. Shoot each other. And die rich. But dirt poor.

ALWAYSTOMORROW

So you tried to “descramble the pay per view smut using the horizontal and vertical knobs on the TV” and today people watch it on their phones.

The only difference between them and you is the method of watching. So what is the problem?

pissedlizard كافر ‏

Did I say there was a problem, you moron? Did I criticize anything or make a comment on a comment? But why don’t we take a few minutes and do a very serious psychiatric profile on you from all of your posts, shall we?
You are a class A moron. And with your IP address not being masked, or your dim witted, feeble little mind not using a proxy server, you may want to be very careful who you fck with. You are physically a lot closer to me than you can imagine.
Be careful young lady.

MK

This is why I homeschool my children.

dadelaw

Good article. (You do know, though, don’t you, that Harry Dent was calling for Dow 36,000 right up until 2006. He even wrote a best-seller called (I think) Dow 36,000 and also wrote a second edition of the same book. In recent years he has changed his tune entirely and called for a stock market crash (since 2008) and the market has done nothing but rise during that time).
So my question is: where does this man’s credibility come from?

dynamo

from idiots that give him the time of day.

sam johnson

So bad is that many Americans think that the a-nuss is a sekk’s organ. Typo intentional. And this likely went right over your head if you are an American.

Yoandri Dominguez

I disagree with this whole-heartedly. First, comparing different countries is comparing apples to oranges; second, what we need is critical pedagogy; and lastly, as technology gets better and cheaper, more people will be reading Wikipedia articles or streaming documentaries, i.e, they will reap the educational and research benefits. And furthermore, doing surveys to highschool and college students is not representative of the population, since we are under constant, yearly changes in technology, and since the politics of education are getting more frustrating (i.e., brainwashing, common core, humanities vs STEM vs the arts, all together with religion and freedom of speech.)

Larry Notton

Just goes to show, just how dumbed down, as a nation, we have become!

exomike

This whole thread reminds me of the first few pages of “Little Black Bag” by Cryil M Kornbluth.

Macon Richardson

Of course Judge Judy is not on the Supreme Court. She died several months ago. Where have you people been?

Kid Rob

I can summarize it in two words. Democrats and Republicans – and blind idiots who keep supporting them.

Daniel S. Thompson

The course “Learning from Youtube” is actually a great idea, given the general decadence the author describes. MIT has put all their lectures online. We have CourseEra, Khan Academy, and yes, there are millions of people creating lectures and tutorials on youtube, sharing their knowledge on every subject imaginable. What we’re seeing is the liberation of knowledge. The appearance of an “ideocracy” is the collapse of the old, stultified and oppressive systems of learning, which masks the rise of a true *meritocracy.* The future belongs to the “self-starters,” those who learn and think and plan independently.

jim

If you do not count the african americans in the statistics, and even include the hispanics, the US ranks almost at the top in education. Of course, you God Damned leftists refuse to acknowledge this fact, and really just attack white folks folks and no one else.

walcon

The brain becomes lazy when it is fed information instead of having to find it- search for it and decipher it. No longer does it have to “think”.

Brian

Most people’s thinking stops cold at the line of their prejudices. Real critical thinking requires examining ones premises. Being morally baited, i.e. expecting to be rewarded, approved or empowered by a notion or value judgment (e.g. Trump is simply a racist so whoever supports him “deserves” to be attacked), destroys what little capacity for reason people have. If you want your brain to have a chance, ditch your prejudices and ABOVE ALL stop moralizing, it just makes you dummer.

Lord of the Gulf Stream

Strangely, all the percentages of failure are exactly equivalent to the amount of non-Whites.

Brian

One more vital comment on this subject: if people want their children to possess critical thinking skills, they had better reintroduce Bugs Bunny. The only wise man ever to appear on television. And he was a rabbit.

Frank

THis is really lack of knowledge, not lack of intelligence. It is the fault of our schools to not teach this knowledge. And the Bible says, God Says, my people die for lack of knowledge.

CharlesH

God – in His infinite wisdom knew this was going to happen. Anyone wonder why it’s automatic that we breathe and not have to consciously think about doing it? Some are just too stupid. God knew that.

bv

Subliminals, poor diet, and television all play a roll. Ever see the movie – They Live?

Ivan Kos

Go Trump go !!! In last 30 years 60,000 factories left USA.Since 2001, the country has lost 42,400 factories, including 36 percent of factories that employ more than 1,000 workers (which declined from 1,479 to 947), and 38 percent of factories that employ between 500 and 999 employees (from 3,198 to 1,972). An additional 90,000 manufacturing companies are now at risk of going out of business.

Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce showed that “U.S. multinational corporations, the big brand-name companies that employ a fifth of all American workers… cut their work forces in the U.S. by 2.9 million during the 2000s while increasing employment overseas by 2.4 million.”

USA manufacturing plants have also declined sharply in the last decade, shrinking by more than 51,000 plants, or 12.5 percent, between 1998 and 2008. These stable, middle-class jobs have been the driving force of the U.S. economy for decades and theses losses have done considerable damage to communities across the country.

AffinityNetNews

We have been dumbed-down and indoctrinated to accept Totalitarian Collectivism, a rancid and toxic witch’s brew of Marxism, Fascism, Fabianism, Communism, Socialism, all the ‘isms’, except ‘Individualism’ leading to a techno-feudalism and crony-corporatism.

I recall, 36% of the graduating class of the Denver school system in 2005, couldn’t find Canada on the map !

Terrifying beyond words.

We are to never question authority.

Ignorance is Strength – Silence is Patriotism – Critical thinking is Terrorism – War is Peace – Hate is Love- Garbage in-Garbage Out is the New ‘Gulag Amerika’ mantra of blind stupidity and certain destruction.

“In the end, I truly believe that we all greatly underestimate the influence that the mainstream media has on all of us.”

? How much subliminal destruction is weaved throughout
that which ‘they’ put out as influence ( inflow ) ?

Sam Nelson

Americans believe the Jews Holocaust Story is something real, that JFK was killed by a single bullet and that the WTC was brought down by fire 9/11 – now, talk about stupid, so what is the price of this stupidity. The answer to that is a criminally controlled Government, Police as well as well as Military people who do what they are told by their criminal Political bosses. Which has brought us to the point of no return socially.

James Scott

The jews in charge of the Wests governments are dumbing down white people so that non whites can have equality. Until whites realize it was a huge mistake to allow non white immigrants into white nations and then remove the non whites the dumbing down will continue. If you disagree with me based on your feelings instead of the facts consider yourself dumbed down.

Angelene

And Common Core only makes it worse!! But yet our students today are subjected to it everyday.

Common Sense

I once too worried about the end result of such willful ignorance but have realized it is poetic justice. A large filter so to speak that is separating the monumentally stupid from those who have the desire, and show it through action, to learn and better themselves.

To quote Einstein.
“Those happy to walk rank and file already have my contempt.
They needn’t a brain, a stem would suffice”

Common Sense

Additional quotes to enlighten, and remember, these quotes are pearls of wisdom left by intelligent people so that we may use them to better our world and ourselves. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s there waiting for us.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
Albert Einstein

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we
created them.
Albert Einstein

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
Albert Einstein

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.
Albert Einstein

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its
limits.
Albert Einstein

John Higson

Not everyone should go to university, some people just aren’t cut out for it! The average standard of student now is half as good as they were 30 years ago, if that! Education has become a racket to generate revenue for investors, it is no longer about educating people.

It needs to go back to what it was, an intellectual finishing school for those gifted enough to be able to benefit from it, not a mass market ‘product’ to be profited from and dumbed down so that everyone can ‘consume’ it! My degrees are worth nothing now that everybody, his dog and her tapeworm has one! Nobody fails and everybody is a winner. It’s TEOTWAWKI and I feel like I’ve been dicked, good and proper!

John Higson

Another Einstein quote, but you lot won’t like it…….

‘“The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still purely primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can change this for me.”

Taos61

Stay on subject.

John Higson

How is me quoting einstein not ‘on topic’ when the person just before me had posted a load of comments by einstein? You’ve lost me!

abinico

We are doomed.

Lone Patriot

This is by design. Exactly the way the power elite want it to be..stupid serfs are the best kind of serf.

johnnywoods

And you can thank the U.S. Dept. of Education and the Teachers unions for most of this.

Rosalund

Common core can be thanked and also the dumbing down and no child left behind thinking. In the end its up to society to unplug from the wants of all and plug into educating kids. Time to go back to the basics. Teach reading, writing, match, history, world problems without all the stupid things thrown in to make it easy for kids to pass. Any high school student should be able to answer correctly the questions people entering in legally to the USA had to know.

David Stanley

A Canadian High school graduate knows more than most American college graduates

Taos61

I don’t doubt it.

Guest

Canadian schools are now CCSS aligned. Your comment may have been true a few years ago, but not anymore. CCSS is now global.

Ronnie Evil

Part of the problem is the subsidies that the government gives to these colleges where the goal are not thinkers but the goal is funding. Once the government stepped and said everybody deserves to have a college degree, you basically get an extended high school program. Which is why these “college” graduates are skewing the data. They do not know that much but they passed the classes. The school got money, the government got money, the banksters got money-all is right with the world. Not everyone is higher level learning material and that is okay. Forcing it like this is where the problems start.

CTYankee

When I asked “How stupid can you get?” Some took it as a personal challenge.

Stubba1961 .

Children today, especially in America are educated to be sheeple, do not challenge what you are told, do not think beyond the boundaries given to you. In the 70’s young people were wary of everything the state told them these days they are either not interested or too dumb to know when they are being deceived.
The US media is also to blame, most young adults have no aspirations beyond “being famous” or winning X factor or mimicking a Kardashian. Youth are taught to aspire to all the shallow, materialistic idiots promoted to celebrity status and the low crass things in life. Show me a celebrity in 2016 who acts as a genuine wholesome role model for young adults – I cant see any.
Young people who DO wish to aspire to better things are branded “geeks” and “nerds” and are ostracised by their peers for not being cool – by definition of cool, refer to my 2nd paragraph. Again in the media, clever people who challenge the system are portrayed as weird, odd or uncool.
Being a brainless wannabee is the fashion, being an educated wide awake citizen isn’t – its been designed to work that way, its a deliberate agenda and responsible parents should strive to protect their children from all of it.

DB200

Very good comment!

Jannik Thorsen

Political correctness and liberalism coupled with an abundance of social media entertainment has been a disaster for the intellectual development of young people.

The number one thing a parent can do, is instill a love for reading to their children. Read to them as babes, take them on trips to the library, and buy them books as gifts. Everything important I ever learned was from reading books on my own, and very little at public school. It is foolishness to leave education to schools–that becomes a form of mental compartmentalization
that seals off the brain from absorbing knowledge other than what is spoon fed to it.

So stop depending solely on governemnt run schools to teach your child. Get involved as parents, and teach them to be independent learners.

Ben William

a lot of money and time went into dumbing down North America and Europe. Old man John Rockefeller said that “a society of thinkers” were of no interest to him or the folks he ran with. The plan was put into place and worked on long ago. Today, you see the results.

Mondobeyondo

Science 101 for high school students, 2016 version:

An insect’s body consists of a head, a __________ and an abdomen.
A) borax
B) Lorax
c) thorax

Let’s see how many get it wrong… heh

Kountry Bumpkin

LOL, it’s a Lorax-borax and they get very mad when you cut down their soap trees….

horse777res

Common sense is not common!!!!

Mark McNamara

It is not that different over here in England. My daughter had a friend some time back and I asked her for a lend of £10 for my sisters operation as she needed a leg and I only had £2. I said to her that I needed the loan of £10 as I had seen a leg on ebay that was £12, I told her that over in India the people are very poor and they saw their legs off to sell them on ebay for £12. She turned round to my daughter and asked `Do the Indians really cut their legs off to sell on ebay ?`

Thomas D Guastavino

Until the connection between success in school and success in life is re-established there is no hope.

Bill Meeker

Dumbing down our education system is the one success we must credit the Democrats with. Admit it … they dun a good job of it.

Nestor

Instead of studying history and other sciences that will never be useful to them as none of them will become a historian or other, these students need to learn early how to till the soil, raise cattle, cut wood and smith iron as this would be the optimal education that they will receive and that will benefit them in their lives.

Eric Brown

You can’t take a measurement at one point in time and call it a trend. Current measurements would have to be compared against similar measurements from the past. Other than the bit about study habits now compared to 2 decades ago, this article is devoid of any comparisons between time periods. The bit about how intelligent someone of average intellect from the 50s or 60s would be if we could only transport them here…that gave me a laugh. Where do you think today’s elderly people came from? And, no, the author’s personal experience is not evidence. Every generation, as it ages, believes the next to be inferior in moral character, intellect, musical taste, etc. It’s the get-off-my-lawn syndrome. Look up quotes about youth going back to Plato. I think maybe the author needs to worry about his own lack of critical thinking.

Pic889

Smart people do exist in America, otherwise the Tesla Model S, iOS, Android, IBM Watson and the latest Intel CPUs would have been invented elsewhere. But the got invented in the USA. Unfortunately, the segment of the population that designs those things is ridiculed, called “nerds” and generally ostrachized from what is called the mainstream. Lately, the mainstream tries to appropriate the high income of smart people, a process known as welfare. This is, also why so many from the smart segment of the population marries foreign women (European, Canadian etc). They literally feel foreigners in their own country.

Maddog

Que?

davidfoster

Wow – your analysis begins with a singular false assumption: that the education system is a failure – then you back it up with “an excerpt from an article written by reporter Mark Morford,” who knows nothing about education as much as he does sex and deviance, according to his Wikipedia entry.

One thing I can tell you is that anyone who thinks that they need to stockpile food for the coming Judgement Day is more a root cause of the dumbing of America than our schools. You’ve failed, not the schools.

Maddog

What a complete clown. Please pull your head out, fast.

Carlos Padilla

I have to disagree with it this article. In the 1950s there was segregation in this country. People were lynched and killed for a spurious reasons but mainly just because they were black. There is no way that you’re going to convince me that those people were smarter.

StarResident

Equating intelligence with adoption of your particular view of the world just makes you look dumb. One of course wonders what our grandchildren will denounce us for.

But you keep living in the past where you can feel like a victim, and make wimpy White people feel horrible for you.

Pat Kittle

We Americans only know what Israelis want us to know.

Patriot Alice

The
difference? Trump is a leader who thinks, yes makes some mistakes,
rethinks and moves forward. The others are robots following the next
instructions from the establishment in charge and follows orders. Leader
vs. puppets. It’s time to elect a LEADER. TRUMP 2016….Need I say
more? Wisconsinites join the whole N.E. to make our country great again.
Vote Trump 2016

Ponosize

🙁 Sheeplelizm brought over by the Papal Bulls, via Manifest Destiny “Doctrines of Discovery” in their GOD they Lust 😛

Charles Reece

I hate to admit it, but YES; even I myself have found our own citizenry in America as being…….oh, well……I could very well say “stupid” as well……….but to sound more tactful, let’s just say more “kindly”, that I’ve found the American People to be most “unaware” (or more bluntly, “ignorant”) as to just what’s going on with their very own “government” in relation to both Domestic Affairs and International Affairs.

Because most American adults don’t “READ” academic subjects anyway on a regular basis – such as philosophy or World History, including during times of “leisure”; that consequently, the American People have made themselves – compared to the REST of the Western world – “ignorant” of what’s truly “going on” in the world today.

Because most of the American People – and particularly those of the Middle Class, who carry a hedonistic mindset – CHOOSE to fill their minds with tabloidish filth from the Media – from the newspapers or telecommunications; they therefore produce elected representatives who are, so to speak, “a cut from the same cloth”! That is, since the American People are so “busy” in fulfilling their lusts for money and material things; that consequently, with their usual immoral selves, they typically elect POLITICIANS with the same negative characteristics that uncoincidentally REFLECT the people’s own debaucherous selves.

Bob332

Anyone with half a brain could see how STUPID a majority of American’s are AND were , just look who they elected NOT once but twice to be president….case closed!

daniel reich

I wonder how many of us bothering to read this article and commenting here are below the age of 50. I would guess very few.

Scottar

Well it’s no mystery anymore why most of the youth like Bernie Sanders.

Tatiana Covington

Oh well, ten thousand years hence, none will care about Columbus.

Any more than they do about Benerib, today.

exomike

Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become…, and 95+ percent of this thread confirms the results…, Except for Barry Epsteine and a couple of others.

Gordo

I fear the only possible fix is a whole lot of pain. It is coming and I do not think people will accept it well. It most likely is too late for a fix.

I remember when I moved away from Michigan in 1983, they had just closed an army recruiting office in a city close to Detroit because applicants were unacceptable. Sorry, don’t remember the location, and it was before Internet was widely used. Maybe someone else knows. Anyway, this has been a long-time coming, and few care.

Midnight Gardener

Oops, it seems I’m not allowed to include links, so I shall try again. This is exactly what we should expect from the government indoctrination camps know as public schools. The public “education system” has been a resounding success…it has accomplished exactly what it was designed to accomplish.

If anyone has doubts they might want to check out “the deliberate dumbing down of america” by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt.

animalogic

Hey, Mr Synder…you have got the diagnosis….roughly….What are your answers ?
I read your stuff all the time: it’s valuable.
But, I am not quite sure what you stand for…? You do know that if the collapse of the current DEGENERACY, is to be “facilitated” that many people like you and I will probably have to die ?
I hope you can get that stick between your teeth….otherwise, well it won’t matter anyway….
…..emperors new clothes……

Deanna Clark

My grandmother was born in 1885. She completed her schooling at 8th grade in a Dallas grammar school. She could do mental arithmetic up to 4 digits, had read Shakespeare and the Bible and memorized poems to recite outloud in class. She knew American history, and not just the Confederate version. She had a great repertoire of gloomy Scottish songs and Methodist hymns. Of course, she could cook, sew, and crochet. In her 90s she still did the crosswords in the Dallas Morning News.

My father-in-law, born in 1893, could do mental arithmetic, with no pencil (that was cheating!!!) into thousands…etc. he couldn’t crochet, though.

On Amtrak overnight a black school teacher from Newark told me her life story…I love trains…she said she was retiring just in time, because the young people were so rude, profane, and averse to learning., it was impossible to teach them. She said if you try to teach them (and she was not the sort of teacher who wears slacks and drinks diet cokes all day) you, the teacher, are too severe for them.

Millenials are a cursed generation…they have been given almost nothing to fight the battles of life. Most of all, the heart of all this, is the media’s cynical propaganda that forbids them to believe in anything…not God, nor school, not ethics, nor human bonding. They prefer electronics to people.

This is the ultimate: A very drunk 22 year old girl here, last week, drove her car into another driven by a young man. Though she could see how badly off he was, she called her boyfriend on her smart phone and talked for 20 MINUTES, mostly about her legal situation. Finally someone else called 911 and the Emergency ambulance came. When the boy died, DOA at the hospital, the doctors said the phone call cost him his life…he bled to death internally.

Now that’s the sort of moral story my Victorian grandmother would love!!

Deanna Clark

Assuming you’re on the level, thank you. But be warned…everyone hates an eye witness!!!

Tyler

I don’t put too much concern in their lack of ability to name those facts. To me, the over-reliance on them as a signifier of intelligence is also a sure sign of dumbness. Why? Because it is hanging onto an old measure of intelligence, when anybody with open senses can see that the world is rapidly changing, and intelligence is now measured by another factor. How well can somebody navigate a social encounter, and think fast on his feet? How well can somebody land a job? How well can somebody keep his own powers alive in a world which wants to put him down in the mud? How well can somebody understand the cause and effect of climate change? How well can somebody understand not to live close to the ocean because melting ice caps = higher ocean. How many people will actually AVOID the peril once they even figured it out? These are a few instances of avenues where sensible, rational thinking is required, yet the nerds are still boasting their ability to remember factoids that ought to be forgotten in the first place. Because there’s all of the “intelligence” wasted on being able to put a donkey-tail on a map of countries in order to impress the teacher, and there is intelligence wasted on reciting war-time history to the last century, and meanwhile a real war is brewing in the world (which is used as useless nerd-fodder for pointless debates), and anybody with 2 working brain cells can equip themselves with the knowledge of where Isreal is. Have you ever looked at a map that wasn’t blank and meant for putting a donkey-tail on it in order to impress your teacher? Countries have their names written on a map because that is what a map is for, among other things – pointing the attention onto where countries are located. Our brains are also equipped with reason, at all times. So I do not buy this nonsense of being “programmed” by the television. Psychopaths will try to manipulate, but the person who is lazy is the obvious target – who, worse, claim that it was “inescapable programming”. Idiots. Use your reason. If somebody stood in front of you, stabbing a dog to death, and held up a sign saying, “THIS IS HEALTHY AND RIGHT / THIS IS CORRECT / DOGS LOVE TO BE STABBED TO DEATH” would you say that you were being “programmed” to accept dog-stabbing because it was written that way in front of your face? Hell no. So use your reason. You still have it, even if you haven’t dusted it off in ages.

Apoc

1) I agree whole-heartedly that Americans are profoundly stupid!

2) Nearly every one of the facts used to support the claim that Americans are stupid has nothing to do with intelligence… it has to do with memory!

AMERICANS ARE STUPID BECAUSE THEY ARE INCOMPETENT WHEN IT COMES TO CRITICAL THINKING!!!

Rote learning is the problem… they are taught how to memorize. All of the examples pointed out in this article deal with rote learning. This is not the problem with Americans, nor is it a valid measurement of intelligence. The problem with America is that people don’t know how to THINK! That is not a rote learning issue… it is a critical thinking issue!

Sallee Gotlieb

This has all been proved today, a truly dark day for america

Bob Caille

the illegal immigrants in the USA have a higher IQ than the legal population.

J.H.

totally predictable. This is exactly what the liberals wanted. A society where everyone and everything is equal.

AZTEK

I strongly believe that all murican’s are stupid and fat..
Muahahaaaaaa!!!!
Idiot nation:))))